Always Come Back
by Awen Sofer
Summary: Continuation of the one shot What About. The OC Maura is back along with Reno as her boyfriend. AU/will contain OOC but not to an extreme degree.
1. Her Idiot Boyfriend

"Oh, my god," Barret groaned. "It's just not fair. How did that idiot Reno ever get a girl like that?"

"Look at that ass would ya? I'd like to come behind her and slip her my big fat –" Cid was quickly cut off by an irritated Vincent.

"Be quiet you filthy pervert!" he snapped. A lascivious grin was on his lips because he was enjoying the same enticing view as the other men. He was just smart enough to keep his mouth shut. He looked at the quiet Cloud Strife beside him.

The boy wasn't necessarily staying quiet because he was smart, but he was definitely speechless by what he saw. It was cute how the grown man was blushing while he openly stared at the pretty waitress's ass. How he could still be so virginal and innocent acting no one knew because he was neither. That cherry had been picked a long time ago. He just was not promiscuous like his best friend, Zack Fair.

They all appreciated Tifa's new choice of uniforms for her girls.

Maura, the new waitress, was bent over a table wiping the far side when her short plaid school uniform type skirt rode up and offered them all an awesome view of her white ruffled panties. Tifa definitely deserved a thank you for her sense of style on this one.

"Oh, shit! I would make that lovely little lass cry real tears while riding my – OW!" Cid yelled in pain when a hand came across the back of his head. He nearly swallowed his cigarette.

Barret roared with laughter then whined with pain when he received a slap from Tifa too. He started laughing again when she delivered one to Vincent and Cloud. No one was left unscathed from being punished for their lecherous thoughts.

"I didn't say anything," Cloud whimpered, rubbing his head.

"You didn't have to asshole!" Tifa snapped. "The proof is on your face. And in your pants. Dammit, Cloud. You might want to rethink those leather pants. Where are your others?"

"You forgot to wash them," he protested, smiling at the red headed waitress when she turned her green eyes on him.

"How old are you?" Maura inquired, staring at him.

"Twenty-five," he answered the gorgeous woman in front of him balancing the tray of glasses on her hand.

"Then do your own damned laundry. You're not a child," she chided him in a very Tifa-like manner.

"No wonder you hired her! She's like you!" yelled Barret, laughing again. He received another slap to the head.

"So, Maura, how did you become Reno's girlfriend?" Vincent inquired. He did not really care. He just liked to hear her talk. She had a very pleasant voice that spread across his nerves like a soothing balm. He liked her and had already decided to keep her safe from the horny Cid.

Maura had dumped the tray of dirty glasses and was coming around the end of the bar to talk to Vincent when Cid grabbed her. She calmly stood between the blond man's legs while he held her in a tight bear hug with her back pressed against his chest. He groped her breasts and kissed her neck. Everyone held their breath and stared, wondering if she would fight back or allow him to screw her right there.

"Hey, sugartits, don't you want to find out what it's likes to be with a real man?" he asked, sliding one of his hands between her legs while the other continued to massage her breast.

Maura turned, taking his face in her hands. She smiled as she looked into his icy blue eyes. "Sure, Cid. Show me one and I'll be happy to find out," she said, sliding her hands down his sides and clamping down on his hips. She pulled him to the edge of the barstool and thrust her knee between his legs. He would be lucky if he was able to have sex again a week from now.

Everyone in the bar unleashed a barrage of laughter as the red faced man slid off the barstool and collapsed in a heap on the floor. Vincent brought his drink to his lips to hide his smile. She did not need a protector after all.

Maura blew a stray curl out of her face and flounced off to the next table. Could this place be anymore full of assholes?

"Hey, everybody! Oh, shit! What are you doing here?" Zack demanded, coming to a screeching halt in front of her after running through the door.

Oh, yes it can. Dammit. "I work here," she answered bluntly. Why did he care? He dumped her after all. Shouldn't she be the one offended by his presence which she definitely was. She was no longer angry though. That was two months ago and she had been seeing Reno since he walked her home the night Zack broke her heart.

"Where's my Sugarlips?" Reno yelled when he walked through the door.

"Hey! Cid, almost had her nickname right," Barret blurted, recoiling from Tifa's raised hand.

Finally. Someone she was happy to see. Maura put the tray on the table next to her, bumping Zack's shoulder when she brushed past him to get to Reno.

"What the…" His glowing blue eyes followed his ex-girlfriend's path to the red headed scarecrow. He gaped in disbelief as she jumped into the man's arms and wrapped her arms and legs around his body. Damn. Reno was stronger than he looked.

"I've missed you," she murmured against his lips. Did she just hear a collective groan of disappointment and maybe disgust from the peanut gallery at the bar? With any luck she did. Hopefully, the horny little bastards will back off.

"Hey, Reno, is she a good fuck? She looks like she would be. Can I have a try?" Cid bellowed from across the bar.

Everyone except Cid that is. Maura wondered if there was anything short of pepper spray that would make him back off. She carefully unwrapped herself from her boyfriend's body giving him another kiss before returning to work.

"So how is she doing?" Reno asked Tifa.

"She's great! I'm so glad you brought her here. She's my back up to deal with the morons around here," she said, critically eyeing the row of men at the bar. "Want a drink?"

"Yeah, just a beer. Is it okay if I hang out until she gets off work?" he inquired, taking the cold bottle from her.

"Damn this girl has done wonders for you. You're so polite now," she remarked with a smile, glaring at the men who were ridiculing Reno with actions notating that he was whipped. "He might be whipped, but he's the one screwing her and you're not. Especially you, dumbass," she snapped at Zack. "You dumped her."

Ouch! All of the men visibly flinched from the painful reminder stabbed into Zack Fair like a dagger.

"By the way, I love the new uniforms," Reno commented, watching his girlfriend sashay around the bar getting ogled by the customers. It didn't bother him. He's the one she came home to at night, and he's the one that got to peel off that teeny tiny uniform to get to what lies underneath. Glancing over at the blue eyed, black haired male beauty named Zack Fair, he smiled broadly. Thank you, asswipe. She also brought home a lot more money in tips since donning the new look. He was on the verge of becoming a kept man. He was in love with his keeper. There's no place he'd rather be.

* * *

"Oh, Reno!" Maura cried out on the verge of an orgasm.

A loud beep filled the room signaling that he been sent a text message. No doubt from Tseng calling Reno out for a mission.

"Finish it before you grab that or you will never have another chance," she growled, digging her fingernails into his shoulders.

Reno pressed his mouth to hers, thrusting into her with long hard strokes. He panted in her ear as he came closer to an orgasm hoping she was almost there as well. Tseng had threatened to kill him if he put off answering another message. However, at this time he was more afraid of never having sex with Maura again than facing his boss's wrath.

"Sweetheart, please," he begged, grinding his hips into her. Dammit! Something had to hurry up and push her over the edge.

"Oh, that's it!" she cried, grabbing his ass and digging her nails into him.

Holy hell! She was going to make him pay for this anyway. Reno moaned her name into her ear as his pelvic bone rubbed into her and eventually brought her off. When she began clawing his back, he released inside of her with a yowl, mainly from the pain being inflicted on his back. He kissed her on the lips and the cheek before grabbing his phone.

"What is it?" he barked into the phone. Oh, freaking hell cat! He glared at her. His back burned as if fire had been poured on it.

Maura watched his face as he listened. His eyes grew very serious, and he regarded her briefly before looking away. This wasn't good. She could tell by his face. It was not often he looked worried, and it was never good when he did. She never asked about his missions and thankfully he never offered any information. He honestly had the 'if I told you, I would have to kill you' type of job. The less she knew the safer she would be. It was dangerous for her to be with him at all. She just hoped that he would never be ordered to kill her for whatever reason. Everyone viewed him as something of an idiot which he could definitely be, but when it came to work he was different.

A loud banging on the front door startled her, making her gasp and jump. Reno patted her hip to assure her it was all right.

"It's Rude. Go get it," he requested, his eyebrows drawing together as he watched her carefully wrap the sheet around her body. He did not like what he was hearing on the other side of the phone. He knew she was watching his face and did not want her to have another reason to worry.

"Hey, Rude. Come on in," she said, opening the door wide and walking away. The quiet, stoic human wall walked in soundlessly and closed the door behind him with a soft click. It still bumfuzzled her how such a large man could move so stealthily. "He's on the phone with Tseng."

"Has he told you anything?" Rude inquired in his very soft spoken way with his deep rumbling voice.

"No. He never does," she answered, going back to the bedroom. She chewed on her lower lip when she saw he was dressed and getting ready to leave.

"I'm –" he started to apologize but she stopped him by raising her hand.

"I know. Just don't apologize anymore. We're beyond that. I understand. Just kiss me and go," she said, the tears stinging her eyes as they collected and prepared to fall. Will she ever get used to it?

"I'll be back. I always come back," he whispered in her ear. He hugged and kissed her before walking away.

Maura jumped when Reno slammed the front door. She sank to her knees and cried. _I always come back._ Please, please, always be right and make good on that promise.

* * *

"What are you doing here, Cloud?" Maura inquired irritably, staring at the cute spikey haired blond in her doorway.

"Tifa sent me," he explained, trying not to stare at the usually beautiful woman. What the hell happened to her? She really did look sick. Her hair was frizzy and tangled; her face was swollen and red from crying. "She would have come to check on you, but she can't get away from the bar. Are you all right?"

"Do I look all right?" she snapped angrily. She knew she shouldn't be taking it out on him. It wasn't his fault that Reno was not back after a week and that she had called in sick for a second day. She had not lied about being sick. She was literally sick with worry because he had never been gone this long before without finding some way to get word to her that he was all right.

"Well, no, Maura you don't," he answered truthfully, his pale skin turning a light pink as she glared at him. 'Please don't knee me in the crotch,' he was begging silently.

"Is there anything else that you want?" she asked, beginning to lose her patience. She wanted to get back to bed and continue feeling sorry for herself.

"Here," he blurted thrusting the container of chicken soup in her face. He was a delivery boy after all so he would complete that delivery. "She wanted you to have this. Will you be coming to work tomorrow?"

Maura took the container from him, unable to keep the smile from curling her lips. It was so nice to know someone cared and was worried about her. "Yes. Please tell her thank you and I will be there tomorrow," she said, hugging the warm container to her body between her breasts.

"He will come back you know. He always does," the sweet blond told her, his sad blue eyes meeting her sorrow dulled green ones.

"So I've been told."

* * *

Three weeks. Dammit. Where is he? Maura stared at the darkened ceiling into nothing. Nothing. That's what she felt. She went back to work when she said she would and has been going through the motions ever since. Worry and sadness had become a huge part of her life. Even Cid had left her alone after she nearly broke his arm from one ass grab too many. A loud thump against the front door caught her attention. Stupid kids next door. Always playing practical jokes. She had jumped and ran to the door on more than one occasion thinking maybe he had returned home when it was only kids playing in the hall. Tonight it must be a drunk neighbor stumbling home. The sound came again, louder this time. Feeling like they were beating on the one raw nerve she had left, she lept off the bed to go to the door.

"Now listen dammit –"The words died in her throat when she snatched open the door and Reno fell in. Half of him did anyway since he had been sitting on the floor outside propped against the door. "OHMYGOD!"

"Hi, honey! I'm home," he panted, looking at her through one half closed eye because the other one was purple and swollen shut. He appeared as if someone had tried to stuff him into a wood chipper.

Maura pulled him the rest of the way into the apartment. Flipping on the light so she could see his injuries clearly, she knelt beside him to examine him carefully. Once upon a lifetime she was a nurse but she had run away from that life. He was covered in cuts and bruises but she could not tell exactly how bad they were because of all the blood. He was unconscious now. She dragged him across the hardwood floor to the bathroom.

"Maura, what are you doing?" Reno asked, rousing up again when she started the water.

"Oh, you idiot! Where the hell have you been?" she inquired, trying to be angry so that would hold back the tears. She was so relieved that he was alive and that he was home there was no way for her to be angry with him.

"You know I can't tell you," he mumbled, grunting in pain as she carefully peeled his shirt from his body that had been glued to his skin by the blood.

"I know. It doesn't matter anyway," she muttered, undressing him. "Reno, I need you to help me here. I know it hurts, darling but help me get you into the tub."

"Sugarlips, I love you," he stated in a weak voice, reaching out to touch her.

Maura was flabbergasted momentarily and almost dropped him on the hard ceramic tile floor. What a wonderful time to make that heart wrenching announcement. Dammit! A romantic moment would have been nice. Oh, well, such was her life. She unceremoniously dumped him in the tub when he lost consciousness again. Better the water than the tiles. She pulled him above the water before he drowned, sliding her arm under his and over his chest to grip him securely under the other arm. She must have tickled him because he jumped and giggled like a girl, head butting her in the process. Stars burst in her vision and her head felt like it was going to explode.

"Oh, damn! Reno!" she yelled, but he was out cold again. It was going to be a long night.

By the time she had him cleaned up and the wounds treated, Maura was completely exhausted. She stared down at the beaten and injured man, kissing his perfect pink lips. At least those had remained undamaged. She cuddled up next to him to go to sleep. When he groaned in pain, she repositioned her hand away from his cracked but not broken ribs; at least that was what it felt like under her hands when she checked them.

"Maura, I love you," he repeated, pulling her against him since his ribs were not injured on that side.

"Oh, Reno, I love you too."

* * *

Maura began to wake up. Her hand slid across the bed next to her. Immediately she was wide awake with the terrible realization she was alone. With a deep sigh of frustration and disappointment she closed her eyes to hold back the tears. Had she dreamed that he was home?

"Sugarlips, how do you like your eggs?" Reno's voice reached her ears from a distance.

"Great! Now I'm hallucinating," she grumbled. Reno doesn't cook. Wait. Is that bacon she smelled? She leaped out of the bed and ran to the kitchen. She had not been dreaming after all. He was here, he was alive and he was…cooking?

"Reno? When did you learn how to cook?" she inquired, leaning against the refrigerator.

"I've always known how. I just…didn't," he admitted sheepishly, giving her an apologetic grin.

He was lucky she was so glad he was home. Maura went to him, putting her arms around his neck. She kissed him gently at first then pressed her lips to his harder, more urgently. "Would you be okay to…you know?" she asked, when he drew in a deep breath with a hissing sound.

"You'll just have to be gentle with me. I'm still sore," he said, a pained look on his face.

"No. It needs to wait. Scrambled."

"What?"

"I like my eggs scrambled."

Reno smile and kissed her again. He would make sure he always came back to her.


	2. Gone Again

Gone Again

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"I'm never having sex with you again," Maura muttered in his ear, pushing him off.

"Wha-" Reno started to protest, grabbing for her as she stood up.

"Tell me one time we've had sex when Tseng hasn't texted you for a mission," she demanded, looking deeply into his arctic blue eyes. Nothing. Not a single word. "That's what I thought."

"Sugarlips, please…" he implored her dragging her back into the bed. "Let me get him off my back and I'll take care of you. Don't I always?"

The phone began to ring. "Your boyfriend is calling you," she snapped cattily, attempting to stand back up.

Reno ignored her, reaching for the phone with one hand while he held her firmly around the waist with his other arm.

Maura tried to wiggle out of his grip but he pushed her down on the bed and sat down on top of her. She felt his rigid member lying on her belly but she tried to ignore it.

"Yo!" he yelled into the phone, covering her bare breast with his hand. He pinched and twisted the nipple, making her cry out in pleasure then had the nerve to shush her.

Maura grabbed his pulsating erection and began to stroke him, eliciting a moan from him.

"No, I'm not sick," he said, biting his lower lip to hold back another moan. His eyes rolled back in his head when she grasped tighter and stroked faster. "Yeah. I'll be there in ten minutes."

Maura giggled when he hung up and threw the phone across the room. She pulled his mouth down to hers sighing with pleasure when he slid back into her to finish the job he began.

Twenty minutes later he was dressed and standing at the front door kissing her good-bye.

* * *

Maura was bent over wiping the table when a pair of big rough hands clamped down on her hips. She felt an hard object being rubbed against her behind. Her nose filled with the odor of oil and cigarette smoke – Cid.

"What's up, Sugartits, besides my dick? You want me yet?" he asked, humping her slowly.

Maura spun around with her tray and hit him across the face. She watched with a satisfied smile as he stumbled backwards and fell on his ass with a loud and hopefully painful thump.

"Shit! Dammit, girl! I'm in love with you. You're a feisty one," he purred, rubbing his chin as his sky blue eyes danced over her body.

Barret slid from his usual barstool to grab Cid's goggles from the floor at his feet and walked over to snatch the lecherous man off the floor by one arm. He shoved him toward his permanent place at the bar.

"I'm sorry, Maura," Barret apologized for some reason.

"Oh, Barret, it's not your fault he's an asshole," she said, patting the huge man on the chest. He reminded her of a big, friendly teddybear despite his rough appearance and gruff tone. His skin was a shade of cocao brown and he had black hair and black eyes; just like a teddybear but with lots and lots of muscles.

"Are you ready to go home? It's nearly the end of your shift. You can leave early if you want," Tifa offered, glaring at Cid.

"Sure. I'm a little tired anyway," she said, going behind the counter to put away her serving tray and her apron.

"I'll walk you home," Vincent offered, quickly moving from his barstool.

This warranted a curious stare from everyone. The usually silent, affectless man surprised them by his sudden act of kindness. He was always willing to help a friend but only if asked. It was odd for him to offer first.

Maura looked into the red eyes of the strange, emotionless man. He gave her something akin to a smile managing to look terribly uncomfortable. She smiled back as he quickly lowered his chin to obscure all of his face except his eyes behind the high, wide collar of his signature tattered red cape that he always wore no matter the temperature or whether he was inside or outside.

"Sure, Vincent. Are you sure you don't mind?" she asked, walking around the end of the bar.

"No, I don't mind," he replied, throwing his long midnight black hair over his shoulder and striding toward her.

Maura noticed for the first time he was actually quite beautiful like an otherworldly being with his white luminescent skin against his deep black hair and startling crimson eyes. Like a mythical underworld creature or a fantasy being. She turned to walk out of the door with him following close behind. When they were outside, she stopped to allow him to walk next to her. He seemed like a nice man, but he was still a man and did not want him following behind her to stare at her ass in the super short uniform.

"You're incredibly attractive, Vincent. Beautiful even," she blurted, feeling the heat of a blush creeping over her cheeks. "Like an elf."

"So I look like a short, silly creature that lives in a tree," he shot back, smiling at her again.

"Oh, sarcasm. Very nice," she complimented, giving him a lopsided grin. "So you do have a personality."

"It's my best kept secret," he rejoined.

"No. I mean the type of Elf that is immortal, gorgeous to behold, an incredible warrior. Mysterious, loyal, brave."

If he could blush, he would have. They walked in silence for a while before either one of them spoke. Shockingly, it was Vincent who broke the silence.

"I was once like Reno. I was what he is. I was a Turk," he said, unsure as to why he was telling her about himself.

"Oh? Did you have a woman you always left behind?" she asked, noticing him become even more sullen and sad looking than usual.

"Yes, there was. She died because of me," he answered, staring at the ground.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something painful." Maura stared at the ground also wishing the sidewalk would open up and swallow her whole.

It was his fault. He never should have opened his mouth-especially about who he was. Vincent noted that she was a remarkable woman in that she did not try to talk a man to death. She was abrupt and got to the point but managed to do so without being rude.

"Did you want to come in for a cup of tea?" she inquired at her door.

Vincent would very much like to, but he decided against it. He took her hand in his feeling her wince and try to pull away. People usually did that if he touched them. He was cold, like a dead person, which mirrored exactly how he felt inside. He nodded to her with an apologetic smile and turned to leave.

"Vincent, wait. I-I didn't mean to do that," she stammered, grabbing his cape. The hurt that had clouded his eyes stabbed her in the heart. He had been so cold – she was not expecting that. He was human right?

"It is all right really. You are not the first person to do that," he said, turning once again to leave but she would not let him go. "Maura, please…"

Maura immediately let him go with the disturbing pleading tone of his voice. He was not the type of man to beg – for anything. She bit her lip as she watched him walk away. What was she thinking? If he had stayed, it would have ended in disaster. Two wounded souls of opposite genders can only find true comfort and solace in each other in one way: by having sex. It has caused the utterance of the lamest excuse in the world more times than cheating partners would care to admit-"It was an accident." How do you accidently cheat? A smiled tugged at her lips as she imagined Reno explaining it to her in the theater of her mind.

_Okay – so you were walking through the apartment naked and there he was, also naked of course. You tripped and fell and OOPS it just happened to slid right in. Oh, yeah. Lame and just plain stupid. Guess what, Sugarlips. This relationship is over, yo!_

Best to stop a disaster before it starts. Maura shuddered with the thought. She never wanted to know what it felt like to live without him.

* * *

The usual customers became so familiar with Maura's mood swings they began to recognize the signs when Reno was gone. The men were sure to be careful what they said and did during those days so they would not suffer bodily harm. She was usually a sweet, charming girl who enjoyed her job and her customers, regulars in particular. Then there would come the times when she was bitchy, angry, and violent. That's when they knew her man was gone on a mission. Even the perpetually perky and annoying as hell Yuffie would back off on those days.

Maura was standing behind the bar with Yuffie and Tifa when _they_ walked in. Gorgeous, silver haired and very unwelcome, the triplets birthed straight from hell walked in as if they owned the place. They picked a table in the back corner and made themselves at home. The little one who was the meanest and most sadistic, propped his feet up on the table and yelled for a waitress. Yuffie took a breath and moved forward, but Maura pushed her back.

"I've got it," she told the young girl who looked very afraid. She wasn't afraid. It was one of those days, and she was pissed. Surely they would give her a reason to vent some of her anger issues.

"But –" The girl had begun to protest but stopped when Tifa shook her head.

"Take one of my other tables. I've got them," Maura insisted, making sure the optimum amount of cleavage showed out of her low cut, tight white button down shirt. She fluffed her plaid miniskirt and was off. 'I dare them. One touch, one word. Give me a reason,' she thought to herself as she neared the table.

The big muscular one eyed her up and down then spread his legs wide since she was standing in front of him. It was the most obvious open invitation and a silent way to tell her that he wanted her. He was giving her an opportunity to view him and decide what she thought. She could take a seat in his lap if she decided to. The one across the table with the extremely long hair gave her breasts a lengthy leer before raising his eyes to her face.

"What can I get you, baby?" she asked the one she assumed to be the youngest, staring into his green cat-like eyes. She had to admit all three were sexy as hell especially dressed all in black leather. They would be a submissive's dream come true. They definitely appeared to be virile, concupiscent males who would be more than happy to assert their dominance. However, being submissive was not in her nature. Her eyes held his as he ran his hand through his shoulder length silver hair before smiling a mirthless, cruel grin while leaning toward her.

"You?" he inquired, running his finger of the top of her generous cleavage.

"What about your brothers? I'd say you were a kindergarten drop out. You don't seem like the type to share or play well with others. " She leaned down in front of him to give him a better view of her breasts while she gave the big one behind her a great view of her ruffled underwear and creamy thighs.

"Oh, Kadaj, I wish you could see this," he said, his deep voice racing along her nerves and making her feel a little too warm.

"My view is pretty good from up front, Loz. The only one missing out is Yazoo," he commented, turning to look at their brother in the corner who was pouting by this time.

"Oh, you poor thing," Maura cooed standing up straight suddenly. She was about to start a fight, and she knew it. Her eyes moved across the bar and connected briefly with Barret's dark brown ones and then Cid's cool blue ones. They both smiled. It had been awhile since they had to toss anybody out of the bar and these three assholes would be a pleasure to kick out.

Maura moved around the table under the close scrutiny of the other two. She sat down in the lap of the pitiful, dejected one they called Yazoo. She felt something begin to harden and grow underneath her behind. "Feel better," she murmured, running her finger over his lips. She leaned forward as if she were going to kiss him which detonated the other two.

Boom! Maura was slammed down on the table after the other two grabbed her by the arms and yanked her from their brother's lap. Yazoo took advantage of the situation and stood up to shove her legs apart since she was laying in front of him.

"You can look, but not touch," she chided, pulling her legs up to kick him against the wall. She slid off the table when the other two let her go after being caught off guard by her actions. Crawling underneath, she managed to be just out of reach of their grabbing hands. Giggling maniacally at them, she waited for back up to arrive in the form of Barret and Cid. She screamed when she was grabbed from behind and dragged from under the table. Kicking and struggling with all her might, she was thrown over the shoulder of her captor which caused her to scream again.

"Shut up, Maura!" Cloud yelled.

Maura immediately closed her mouth in astonishment more than obedience. She had never heard Cloud raise his voice above his usual soft breathy, almost girlish tone.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked when he walked through the kitchen and on out of the back door with her over his shoulder.

"Home. Tifa said your causing too much trouble. Keep going like this and you're sure to get fired," he warned, setting her on her feet.

Maura turned around and nearly fell over the massive motorcycle. "What is this?" she inquired, caressing the black and gold mechanical beast as if it were a living breathing creature.

Cloud cleared his throat as he watched her stroke the machine like a lover. "It's a motorcycle," he squeaked, his voice breaking like a thirteen year old boy's during puberty.

"The hell you say. A motorcycle on steroids maybe. It's so big," she gasped, throwing her leg over it and sliding along the seat.

Cloud smiled. He had heard that before in reference to things other than the motorcycle. After clearing his throat again, he mounted the vehicle in front of her. He was startled to feel her lips so close to his ear when she spoke.

"It's been awhile since I've had something big and forceful between my legs," she said, sliding her hands around his waist.

Ruthless tease. Cloud's smile grew bigger when he started it, and she pressed herself against him so tightly he could feel the heat from between her legs on his behind. 'Reno was a lucky bastard. He should really be home more often,' he thought to himself.

"Do you miss your boyfriend, sweetie?" he asked, shifting his behind between her legs. Now he was just being evil.

"Yes, you big tease. You stay downstairs when you take me home," she ordered him, her hands sliding around his chest to hold him tightly.

Reno had contacted her last night after his four day absence to let her know he would be home soon. Soon could be one to three more days from now. She would wait for him however long it took.

* * *

Maura was walking into the bedroom when a shadow moved to her right. It was the end of the second day of soon. She ignored it, believing it was her eyes playing tricks on her she was so exhausted. Cid had tried to lay her over a table again tonight. The most disturbing part was that she had almost given into him. She stared at the ceiling then rolled onto her side, grabbing Reno's pillow and holding it tightly against her. His smell was like soap, wood shavings, and pine combined as it filled her nose. He always smelled so clean, so manly, so sexy. She sighed heavily because even his scent awakened a hunger within her.

"Oh, Reno, I miss you," she murmured to herself. A light tickling sensation raced along her ear and she shivered. It was the kind of feeling caused by the delicate strands of a spider web touching the skin- or hair. A pair of lips pressed against her neck making her gasp.

"I missed you too, Sugarlips," he whispered in her ear.

"Oh, Reno!" she exclaimed, rolling over and plastering her lips to his.

"Keep doing that and you'll have to give me a proper welcome home," he warned, taking her hand and sliding it over the hardness beneath his belt.

"Oh, Reno," she purred seductively against his lips when he claimed hers again.

"I like it when you say my name like that," he moaned, pushing up her nightgown. He smiled when his hand touched her uncovered womanhood. She never wore panties to bed at night and he really, really liked that about her.

Maura worked to free him from the black dress pants he always wore. At least he made it back from the mission in one piece this time with no injuries. Her breath came in a deep ragged gasps when he pushed her over onto her back and thrust into her without even getting undressed. She was happy to have him home and inside of her. He was so handsome to her especially when lost in pleasure while thrusting into her. Ecstasy rushed through her touching every nerve and making her body shake with arousal. Thrusting her hips up at him, she worked to increase his excitement and managed to raise hers as well.

"You're so wonderful," Reno said, kissing her neck when he started thrusting into her with almost painful abandon.

Maura wanted it. She would take anything he was willing to give her because she loved him. The pressure growing and tightening her muscles deep within her body made her writhe under him. It was coming. She kissed his chest, nipping gently to make him gasp, then licking over it to make him moan. Repeating the process several times across his chest was working him into a frenzy. With him moving inside of her like a piston and grunting like an animal, she experienced an intense orgasm that brought tears to her eyes. Pent up sadness and sexual frustration were discharged along with the flood of carnal pleasure.

"Oh, Reno," she moaned, kissing his lips as he thrust a few more times then climaxed himself. She held onto him as he spastically pushed into her while emptying inside of her. Pressing tender kisses to his now flushed cheeks, she could feel him relaxing in her arms from the amazing physical release of stress along with the bliss.

They lay still in each other's arms enjoying the physical contact as well as the emotional closeness in the warm afterglow of fabulous sex. Maura was running her fingers through his soft, silky hair that tickled her chest from his head laying between her breasts. She sighed softly as his fingers stroked her sides tickling ever so slightly. The gentle lover's caress brought goose bumps to her skin yet soothed her nerves because she had him in her arms.

"Hey, this is the first time –" Reno was cut off by the insistent beeping of his phone. "Dammit!"


	3. When She Suffers

When She Suffers

Zack was walking by Cloud's apartment when he heard a loud moan from inside. It was the distinct sound of a woman. He grinned lecherously and backed up to press his ear to the door. Yes, he was a horny pervert and completely unapologetic for it. He bit his lower lip as he listened intently to the moaning and groaning going on behind the door from the woman.

"Would you be still?" Cloud snapped.

"But it hurts!" she protested.

"Oh, dammit!" Zack muttered under his breath. Not that he swung that way, but he had seen Cloud naked in communal showers before at the military base and he almost felt sorry for the girl. It struck him that woman's voice sounded familiar. The woman cried out again.

"I have to do it harder!" Cloud yelled at her. Then in a softer, much gentler voice he told her, "It will be all right. It won't hurt so much soon."

"Cloud, you naughty, naughty thing," he whispered to himself.

"Cloud," she gasped. "Rub it like that. There. Mmmmm, that feels better."

"Shit! That's Maura!" he exclaimed, slapping his hand over his mouth. He had no idea the woman would be capable of such a betrayal. She had always been so hopelessly devoted and loyal to him. He almost felt guilty for all the times he slept with other women while they were dating – almost.

The door suddenly opened and he screamed in an embarrassingly high pitched voice as he fell into the apartment and sprawled onto Cloud's living room floor. He rolled over on his back to look into the face of an extremely irritated blond whose eyes glowed menacingly as he glared down as his eavesdropping and deviate friend.

"Hi!" Zack exclaimed cheerily ignoring the warmth flooding to his face that alerted him of the blush on his cheeks.

"Hi, indeed. Get up dumbass," Cloud ordered, walking back to the couch where Maura lay fully clothed.

"Dammit!" he muttered, swiftly getting to his feet. Now he was more disappointed than embarrassed. He was intrigued though when he watched his friend sit between her legs and dig his fingers into her muscular, milky white thigh so far up his fingers disappeared under the edge of her short skirt. "Can I do that?"

"No!" they both yelled back in unison.

"Hmph!" he snorted like a grouchy old man, plopping down in a chair. He forgot about the terrible muscle cramps that would sometimes seize her body. He had to help massage out the kinks a time or two himself. Another lascivious grin touched his lips when recalled the things those massage sessions always led to. She had explained to him one time that she had some kind of condition that caused them. He never bothered to commit it to memory because he really didn't care. Man, he really could be an asshole sometimes.

"Why is she here?" Zack grumpily inquired, watching Cloud intently as he continued to massage her leg but moving downward.

"Reno asked me to take care of her. She's been having a few problems lately, and he was afraid to leave her alone while he's gone. Me and Vincent are the only two he trusts to take care of her without trying to screw her brains out," he said pointedly, glaring at his raven haired friend who shrugged off the statement.

"What's wrong with you again?" he asked, looking at the woman who was clearly in pain from the pinched expression on her face. He regretted asking the question when a tear ran down her cheek. Damn. She really was in terrible pain.

"Honestly, Zack," Cloud snapped, switching to her other leg. "You truly are an asshole."

"It's a neurological condition, you jerk off. If you had ever given a damn about me you would have remembered that," she growled through her gritted teeth.

"Is it anything like Geostigma? Is it catching?" he inquired, avoiding looking at her pain filled expression. He deserved every insult she flung at him.

"No, to answer both of your questions. It's a nerve disorder, dipshit. My body is basically sending out botched signals to the nerves and it causes a lot of pain and muscle cramps," she explained, her breath hitching when Cloud hit a particularly sensitive area.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, rubbing more gently.

"Is it painful?" Zack asked, guilt filling him more and more.

"What do you think, asshole?" she muttered, glaring at him.

Okay. He really deserved that. He was asking stupid questions. Zack averted his eyes to stare out the window when Cloud held her behind the head and her shoulders to help her to a sitting position. How could he have been so cruel and selfish?

"Is it better?" Cloud asked, trying to smile at her but she looked so tormented from the pain.

"Yeah. I'm sorry to be such a burden, but thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Is there anything I can do?" Zack inquired.

"No. I've got it," the protective blond snapped.

Maura sighed deeply staring at the ceiling. She hated this. It was humiliating. She guessed the many hours of being on her feet at the bar had aggravated the condition. Work and stress – stress from wondering when and even if Reno would return and in what condition. She loved him but it was getting to be too much for her body. Even Zack had not caused this much aggravation. Of course, truth be told, she had not cared this deeply for him either. She laid her head on Cloud's shoulder thinking about how incredibly kind and gentle he was with her. He was like a sweet little brother, although sometimes she would have to admit she had some very impure and unsisterly thoughts about him. Reno had even asked Cloud about her moving into his apartment with him which he had agreed to but she steadfastly refused. On days like this though, it didn't seem like a bad idea. She had always been independent and had never needed a man in her life for anything. She had even ran away from one because he wanted to be her husband. Maybe that was why she had been so drawn to Zack. She could tell he was not the type for commitment and preferred temporary and very shallow relationships.

A loud knock sounded on the door. Before Zack could get there it turned into an insistent hammering. He opened the door and looked up, way up, into the unemotional face of Rude who had his redheaded partner slung over his shoulder.

"Oh, no," Maura gasped, attempting to stand up from the couch. "What happened this time?"

"He's fine. He just opened his mouth and said the wrong thing to Sephiroth after a mission. He will have a hell of a headache when he wakes up but otherwise he will live," Rude explained, walking straight to the extra bedroom where Maura slept when she stayed here.

"Imagine that. He said something he shouldn't. Now there's a shocker," Cloud muttered, holding the upset woman in his arms. Why does she put up with Reno? He looked over at Zack. Of course. She was a moron magnetic. She picked the worst possible men to fall in love with. When she loved she loved them deeply and with everything inside of her. He sighed loudly, hugging her tightly.

"Cloud, sweetie, I can't breathe," she wheezed from his crushing grip on her.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized, releasing her.

Maura kissed him on the cheek and stood up with his help. She went back to the bedroom hearing the voices of Reno and Rude talking in hushed tones before she reached the door.

"Don't you ever tell her anything," Reno hissed menacingly at his partner. "Don't talk to anyone about her either."

"I wouldn't. I know how you feel about her. Why would I purposely put her in danger?" Rude asked.

"I don't know, but someone has. Why would Sephiroth mention her? He threatened her. How does he know about her?" he wondered aloud.

"He could have seen you out with her," his partner suggested, attempting to be helpful. "Next time don't call him a ruthless bastard and punch him. You kind of told him yourself that you two are together."

Maura pushed open the door without knocking, surprising both men. She would have never dreamed in a million years she could get the drop on those two and scare them especially by accident. She looked at them both then lowered her eyes to the floor.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, managing to look like a guilty child that had been caught stealing cookies.

"How much did you hear?" Reno asked, standing up to walk to her.

"Too much probably. Is my life really in danger?" she inquired, hearing Rude curse under his breath.

The big man picked her up and turned with her, setting her back down on her feet. Maura was no longer blocking his exit path through the door so he left. Her eyes met Reno's before he took her into his arms and kissed her.

"You'll be okay. I'll protect you. Besides, Sephiroth likes to run his mouth and make empty threats. It doesn't piss me off any less so he deserved what he got," he growled, stroking her hair while she stared up at him.

"What about you?" she inquired, carefully touching the huge purple bruise that had formed on his jaw. "Did you get what you deserve?"

"Probably. I was guilty of insubordination after all," he said with a smile.

Only Reno could commit and act that could bring his death and find it something to smile about. There were no light punishments for infractions committed while on the job with his line of work. When she had begged him to quit, he had explained to her that there was only one way to quit the organization he worked for. After he enlightened her that the only way to resign was death, she never mentioned it again.

"How bad is it?" Reno asked, dropping down in front of her to run his hands up her legs. Any other time that would have been exciting and arousing as hell, but the muscles were still too sore and weak for her to revel in his touch.

"It's better now," she answered, permitting him to push her down on the bed. She lay down on her back, closing her eyes to try to rid herself of the new anxiety that had taken hold of her.

"Do I make it worse? Do I make you worry too much?" he inquired, lying down next to her. He pressed his hand over her heart to feel it beating.

"Yes on both accounts," she replied, turning her head to look at him.

"Why don't you break up with me, end things? I'm sure you could find someone else to replace me pretty quickly," he said, biting his perfectly pink and full lower lip as her eyes studied his face. He held her steady determined gaze. She would not be going anywhere despite the fact it could mean the end of her life. He should never have walked her home that night.

"Reno, I love you. I _really_ love you," she stated stubbornly, turning so that she was almost nose to nose with him. "Do you want to leave me because of my condition?"

"No. You can't help that. But I didn't have to pick my career," he muttered, closing his eyes so he would not have to look into her sad green eyes anymore.

Maura pressed her fingers against his forehead until he opened his eyes. "We're all going to die someday. I'm not sure how much time I have left. Whatever will happen, will happen. We can't stop it. Love me while you have me."

Reno pressed his lips to hers. _Love me while you have me. _He intended to fulfill her request and do it the most pleasurable way possible. His tongue pressed against her bottom lip to politely request entry to her mouth. Fueled by her loud sigh, he invaded her mouth and tasted every part in a sensuous exploration.

Maura's body ached in a whole new way. She longed for Reno to be inside of her, to claim as his once again. She missed him every time he left. Sometimes it was only for a few hours. She hated the missions when that lasted for several weeks. She never knew which one it would be. They undressed each other in an unhurried, deliberate manner, delighting in each touch and kiss. One thing that made their relationship work is that they never took each other for granted. They made the best of the little time they had together. Each time they made love it was exceptional and exhilarating just like the first time because it could always be their last.

Maura ran her hand through his spikey red hair, then brushed her fingers across his flawless porcelain cheeks as he hovered above her staring down at her with an ardent gaze. She traced the red crescent tattoos at the corners of his eyes with trembling fingers.

Reno noticed her shaking and grabbed her hand. He brought her hand to his lips, kissing each quivering digit. "What's wrong?" he asked. He was positioned to take her; one slight forward move of his hips and he would be inside of her. But he waited.

"Nothing. I just try to memorize your face every time I see you. Thinking of you helps me hold on while you're gone. If anything sh-should e-ever h-happen t-to y-you…," she stuttered, her emotions getting the best of her.

"I'm here now with you. I love you and I'll always come back to you," he assured her like he had so many times before. So far he had made good on that promise. He lowered his lips to hers and gradually eased into her body.

"Oh, Reno," she gasped, once he was completely inside of her.

"Be quiet," he whispered with his lips next to her ear. "We don't want any depraved listeners outside of the door."

Maura pulled his mouth to hers, using his lips to muffle her moans of pleasure. Her hands moved over his body, luxuriating in the feeling of his silky skin beneath her fingertips. Occasionally her fingers would encounter one of the many scars on his body and lovingly trace it while her lips pressed to his in a tender kiss as if she were expressing regret for the pain he had to endure. It was incredible and sometimes breathtaking how he loved her. That's why she would never leave him even it meant her life. If he was willing to risk death for her, she could surely do the same for him.

"Maura, I love you," he whispered in her ear after pulling his lips from hers. Apparently, he did not care who heard them now as he groaned long and loud while plunging into her harder.

Maura pressed her mouth against his chest over his heart feeling it pulsing against her lips. The faster it beat with his pleasure the more stimulated she became. The gratifying burden of an impending orgasm began to weigh heavily on her as he grunted and pushed into her with renewed vigor. She whimpered when she felt her vaginal muscles start to twinge in anticipation.

Judging by the loud moan he unleashed he felt it too. With one more hard shove, Reno was done for and let loose into her with a howl of unbridled ecstasy. He kept moving, grinding against her to push her to an orgasm. He watched her lovely face as her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth opened in a silent scream of pleasure.

"That's it, baby. Come for me," he whispered in her ear to coax her to the fulfilling end.

"Oh, Reno," she groaned, pulling his lips against hers for a fervent kiss. Her hips bucked up at him and she yelled his name again when the orgasm overtook her.

"There you go, sweetheart. Mmmmm…you're so beautiful," he murmured, kissing her cheek as she whimpered and writhed underneath him while riding out the orgasm.

In the living room, the other three had tried to ignore what was happening in the other room. Cloud had even turned on the television in an attempt to drown them out, but sometimes their voices managed to rise above the high volume of the TV.

"Son of bitch," Zack groaned, rubbing his face with his hands. He would get up and leave if he could but there was no way with the powerful hard on he was experiencing. He knew what it felt like to have sex with her, and it had been great! Dumbass, idiot, jerk, moron…he tried to think if there any other adjectives he could use to describe himself for dumping her.

All three of them were startled when Rude's phone went off.

"Well, I'll be damned," Rude muttered, staring at the text in disbelief.

"Wh-what is it?" Cloud inquired nervously.

"We're getting a vacation," he stated skeptically, still unable to believe it. "Hey! Reno! For once you'll be glad Tseng texted you!"

"What?" Reno yelled. He searched for his phone, reading the text with the same reaction of doubt.

_Take the next week off. You deserve it._

"Hey, sweetheart, we're going on vacation, yo!"


	4. The Almost Relaxing Vacation

The Almost Relaxing Vacation

"Oh, baby, no," Maura said when Reno appeared in the Speedo for their day at the beach.

"What? Why?" he inquired, putting his hands on his narrow hips.

"Sweetheart, you look like a piece of spaghetti wrapped in a rubber band," she replied too horrified by what she saw to giggle. Thank goodness she had packed his swimming trunks. She went to his suitcase to dig them out and flung them at him. Grabbing the bottle of sunblock, she prepared to slather it on the both of them. She had no idea what he was thinking when he planned a beach vacation. People with their extraordinarily light skin color did not belong at the beach. This was his first vacation in years and he was so excited, she could not bring herself to criticize his choice of destinations.

"Keep doing that and we might never make it to the beach," he warned as she rubbed the coconut scented sunblock over his belly running her fingers under the edge of the swimming trunks.

"Promise? We can see the ocean from here and watch the waves as we bask in the afterglow," she said, dropping to her knees in front of him to begin covering his legs.

"It's getting more tempting all the time," he murmured, placing his hand on her head that moved awfully close to his crotch as she worked on rubbing the lotion on his legs.

"Your call. You decide," she stated distractedly, standing back up to work on his arms. She placed his hand on her shoulder, grabbing his forearm with both hands and stroking up and down to work in the thick sunblock. Her eyes met his and she gave him a sensual little smile as she moved to the other arm. She placed his hand over her breast this time to prop it up while applying the lotion.

"Um…oh, god," he moaned when she started doing the same thing to this arm. She had gone from suggestive to seductive and was not giving him a break. The beach was looking less inviting but the bed seemed like a great idea.

"Turn around," she ordered, receiving swift compliance. She filled her hand with the lotion and turned the mundane task of protecting his skin into luring him into bed.

"You're a shameless temptress," he muttered as she dug her thumbs into the tight muscles of his shoulders.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm just trying to help you relax," she purred, sliding her hand around to his front to run it teasingly across his belly. After receiving a loud sigh from him, she returned to massaging his back.

"Missed a spot?" he asked, moaning when the heels of her hands pushed into the muscles of his lower back.

"Yeah. I believe you have another muscle I need to rub as well," she whispered in his ear, running her hands down his back and grabbing his ass. She smiled when he gasped from arousal with his breath coming in ragged inhales afterward. Her fingers glided across the smooth material of the trunks creeping around him and toward the muscle she was referring to. That Speedo would have been even more indecent at this time.

Reno grunted in disappointment when she suddenly dropped her hands and moved to stand in front of him. His eyes dropped to her breasts where her hard perky nipples greeted him through the thin material of her bikini top. At least he was not the only one suffering with a bad case of arousal. He looked at her in confusion when she handed him the bottle of sunblock. 'Such a beautiful, sensuous woman. And she's all mine,' he thought as he touched her flawless cheek. He wanted to slam her to the bed and hammer her through the mattress.

"Do me?" she inquired provocatively, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, hell yes!" he yelled, throwing the bottle and gathering her into his arms.

Maura giggled when he threw her on the bed and lay down on top of her. Her fingers found their way into his hair as he kissed her. It would be a while before they made it to the beach. She slid her hand down his side, firmly grasping his butt cheek as she pushed her body against his hard manhood. His loud moan was further muffled by her sliding her tongue into his mouth.

"Oh, baby," he murmured after pulling his lips from hers. He rolled off next to her to free her from her bikini. She had exquisite taste in swimwear; all he had to do to get her naked was pull a few strings – literally. After doing away with his swimwear, he hovered over ready to take his prize when someone knocked on the door.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she hissed. She had taken the words right out of his mouth.

"Are we going to the beach or not?" Zack yelled petulantly.

"Oh, my god! Why did you want to bring all of them along again? Especially him?" she demanded, grabbing his hips and pushing him inside of her.

Reno struggled to think for a minute. He moaned and moved inside of her. He honestly could not remember why. "Because the nosey bastard was in the room when we got the text remember? Besides, we wouldn't have been able to rent this whole house if they hadn't come along."

"Speaking of coming," she whispered pushing her hips up at him. "A hotel room with just the two of us would have sufficed."

"Oh, god you feel good," he groaned, kissing her briefly.

"What are you two doing in there?" Zack demanded. Oh, dear Lord! Is this what it's like for parents when they try to find a little afternoon delight and their inquisitive child won't go play in his room for ten minutes?

"Go away, Zack!" Maura yelled, pressing her lips to Reno's neck to stifle a moan.

"Oh, you two are like bunnies! You'll get pregnant soon going at it like this Maura," he warned from the other side of the door.

"Shut up!" they hollered back at him in unison.

"Zack!" Rude's voice boomed down the hall. They heard a girlish shriek in the midst of several thumps against the door and wall outside, then silence.

"Do you think Rude killed him?" Maura asked, looking into her lover's luminous blue eyes.

"We could only hope as much," he muttered, turning his attention back to the task at hand which was to make this lovely lady beneath him have a mind numbing orgasm. "Do you love me, baby?"

"Yes, I love you," she rejoined, sighing with pleasure when he began to move inside of her again.

"Want me to make you scream my name?" He smiled down at her giving her a forceful thrust of his member hitting her deep inside to make her cry out.

"Oh, yes!" She wrapped her arms around his lithe, strong body and held on for the ride. She was treated to a roller coaster ride of unadulterated bliss that left her breathless and moaning like a wounded creature from devastating carnal pleasure.

"Say it," Reno begged, shoving into her and touching her deeply enough to send another spiral of gratifying agony careening through her body.

"Oh, Reno," she murmured, digging her fingers into his lower back.

"Louder," he prompted, pushing her toward another orgasm.

"Reno," she yowled, rising in volume but not quite where he wanted her.

"Scream," he whispered, thrusting into her fast and hard to shove them both over into the pit where unbridled pleasure awaited them.

"RENO!" she screamed so loud and with such strength it even shocked her.

They gasped for air with labored breaths as they lay in each other's arms quivering from the amazing orgasm they shared. Maura stared at his wonderful face remembering that first night at her apartment. She never would have guessed this gangly, irritating man could be so loving and be such a fantastic lover.

"So do you want to go to the beach now?" he asked, meeting her ardent gaze.

"Want to put on my sunblock?"

"Oh, definitely. I have a whole new appreciation for sun protection."

They never made it to the beach that day.

* * *

"You would think you two are on your honeymoon or something," Cloud groused, rolling over onto his belly on the blanket beside her. He screamed like a girl when she pressed her cold glass against his back.

"I love to hear you guys make that sound," she giggled, taking a big sip of her drink. She was tired from yesterday and spending the day drinking on the beach was a great way to recover.

"You know there's a better way to make me scream," he teased, rolling onto his side and scooting closer to her.

"Oh, you naughty boy," she joked back, pressing her cold hand to his well-defined abdominals to make him inhale air with a hiss. "If you didn't flirt with me so much, I'd call you my gay boyfriend. You're pretty enough."

"Call me anything you want," he shot back, untying one of the strings on her bikini bottom.

"Tease," she hissed, tying it back.

"I'd make good on it," he promised her, stroking her thigh with his fingertips. He smiled when goose bumps sprung to surface of her skin.

"Hmmmm…that's what I'm afraid of," she muttered, pushing his hand away when he rested it on her thigh.

"Seducing my girlfriend again, Pretty Boy," Reno accused, flopping down on the blanket on the other side of her.

Maura squealed when he threw his arms around her and pressed his body that was cold and wet from the ocean against her sun warmed skin. She laughed as he lay on top of her cooling her off. Her laughter was cut short when he covered her mouth with his. They both screamed, and Cloud as well since he caught in the over flow, when Zack and Rude dump buckets of the frigid ocean water on them. And her relaxing moment is gone - along with her boyfriend and flirtatious companion who were chasing the other two down the beach.

"Ah, dammit!" she groaned, getting up from the sopping wet blanket. She was drenched and did not even have a towel to wipe off with because it was soaked in the deluge.

"Here," a man said, shoving a fluffy pink and white striped towel under her nose.

"Thank you," she responded gratefully, looking at her kind benefactor. He was a very handsome man with long black hair and black eyes. He smiled kindly at her yet he looked decidedly uncomfortable standing here on the beach. He was wearing khaki cargo shorts and a red and white Hawaiian shirt yet did not look relaxed at all.

"I'm Tseng, Reno's boss," he introduced himself, offering her his hand to shake. "You're Maura."

"Oh, so you're the one," she murmured, shaking his hand firmly which obviously surprised him because his very narrow almond shaped eyes widened. Of course he already knew who she was; he probably knew everything about her down to her blood type and how she got the scar on her foot from stepping on a broken bottle when she was eight.

"I'm the one what?" he inquired, taking her by the arm to lead her somewhere.

"You're the one who always calls while I'm having sex with my boyfriend to take him away from me," she stated bluntly, wondering where he was leading her and why.

"Well, I apologize for that," he returned in a very insincere manner, leading her to the back porch of the house where they were staying. "Are you enjoying your vacation?"

"Somewhat. Is this a company sponsored event?" she inquired since he had suddenly shown up here on their 'vacation.' This really did not surprise her. It did not aggravate her any less, but it was not a shock that the company even dictated where and who he went on vacation with.

"I suppose that's the best way to explain it," he admitted, sitting down in one of the wooden deck chairs after she sat down.

"Why are you here?" she asked curiously, getting paranoid from his unexpected appearance. It was not normal for someone's boss to abruptly appear on their vacation. But of course nothing was normal where Reno was concerned.

"I'm here to warn you. You should stop seeing Reno," he said brusquely. It was not his way to dance around people's feelings. If there was something to be said, he said it - plain and simple.

"Are you threatening me?" Her eyes held his unblinking and unwavering gaze.

"I would never do that. Call it a friendly warning." He leaned forward and placed his hand on her knee. His skin was disturbingly cool considering he had been in the hot sun.

"Will you tell me why?"

"No."

Maura unleashed a noise of exasperation that came out as a snort. No, of course he would not tell her. He could threaten her, but he refused to tell her why. She leveled her furious glare on him.

"Just know that as long as you stay with him, your life will be at risk," he said in a calm, emotionless tone.

"I already knew that," she answered with a sharp edge of anger to her voice.

"And you kept him in your life anyway? Are you stupid or stubborn?" This man did not have a problem with speaking his mind.

"Both I suppose. What about you? Did you have your emotions surgically removed along with your ability to address issues with some modicum of tact?" Neither did she.

"Ah," he gasped, actually smiling yet it was a humorless smile. "Reno has certainly found a perfect match. No wonder he refuses to let you go."

Maura defiantly glowered back at him as he regarded her with open curiosity. She could tell he was thinking she just had no idea about what. When he spoke and made his thoughts known, it made her thankful she was sitting down.

"Why don't you come to work for us? You have a special, uh," he paused struggling for the words while he eyed her appreciatively in the bright pink bikini. Was he actually attempting to use some degree of politeness this time? He put his hand on her shoulder, sliding it down her arm to her hand. "I think someone with your special skill set could be a definite asset for our team. What do you think?"

Was he serious? He obviously wanted to hire her to be a seductress. A professional trollop? An actual job as a tease? No matter what the name, it was all the same: she would seduce men to lead them to their deaths. She was not stupid and had made several inferences about Reno's job; mostly from what she heard other people like Tifa and Barret say. Some things she heard were not good at all and cast a disparaging light on Reno making her question his character and who he really was. But he was not that person with her, and she loved him.

"Do I have time to think about it?" she inquired, holding his gaze. This time he smiled a genuine smile.

"You're definitely courageous. No doubt about that. You don't show fear or get intimidated easily. That's a very good thing. If it helps you any, I believe you would be perfect for this job. That is why I'm asking you. No, you don't have time to think. I need your answer now," he demanded sharply, the smile disappearing from his face.

Asshole, she wanted to yell at him, but pressed her lips together.

"Five, four, three…"

Really? A countdown?

"Yes," she answered confidently.

"Wonderful. Welcome to the team, my dear."


	5. The Offer She Should Have Refused

The Offer She Should Have Refused

"You did what?" Reno bellowed, staring at her with shock widened eyes.

Maura had just explained to him the offer made to her by Tseng. He had listened quietly until she told him she had said yes. Surprisingly after his outburst, he did not say another word. He was too angry with her. She had not told him until now while they were sitting in a limousine sent by Rufus Shinra himself to bring them to the Shinra Electric Power Company. He wished he could say it surprised him that she waited until there was absolutely no turning back to tell him, but it did not. The only thing more shocking than Tseng's job proposal was that she had actually said yes. Why had no one asked him about this first?

"You're not my husband. It's not like I had to consult you to get your permission. Your boss certainly did not have to ask you for your authorization to proposition me," she snapped not realizing how ugly the phrase 'proposition me' sounded. It could mean so many things but considering why she was hired it seemed disturbingly fitting.

"Unbelievable," he muttered, running his hands through his hair. "What about your muscle condition?"

"It only flares up occasionally. I've been able to function at my other jobs. Besides, won't it be exciting to be sent out on missions together?" she asked completely unaware of just how naïve she was about what she had gotten herself into.

Reno wanted to yell at her that she being just pure stupid and childish. He refrained because it would not help change her mind. Knowing her like he did, it would only make her more determined to put herself at greater risk. Although at this point he was hard pressed to figure out how she could conceivably put herself in even more danger. When he met her, he had no idea she had a foolish, suicidal streak. It was a just a simple walk home to comfort her from Zack Fair's dumb ass breaking her heart. How in the hell did they get here? From lovers to partners in crime – literally. Dammit. He rubbed his temple when his head began to ache.

They arrived at the building and were met by Tseng in the lobby who looked all too happy to welcome Maura with a hug and kiss on the cheek for an overfriendly greeting - especially for him. Rude fell in behind them to escort them along with Tseng to the office of Rufus Shinra. Reno wished Maura had dressed more sensibly instead of in the short low cut black dress that hugged every curve and black high heeled shoes with chrome colored heels. They were going for a business meeting, not a nightclub. She would definitely make an impression, but he wished it would be a different one.

"He's expecting us," Tseng said as if to explain why opened the doors and walked into the office without knocking.

Maura was not expecting him. She stood mesmerized by the gorgeous platinum blond with cornflower blue eyes wearing a white suit. Her eyes met his which made him smile, however she did not smile back because she had not yet recovered from the shock. She expected some disgusting old bastard who had grown fat literally and figuratively on his decadent tastes and riches gained by misuse of the planets resources. Instead she saw a strikingly handsome man who strode toward her confidently and brushed his fingers across her cheek before running them through her long dark auburn hair.

"My, my another fiery red head," he purred, staring at Reno who was being held down by a firm hand on his shoulder.

Rude kept a tight grip on his jealous and short tempered partner's shoulder. He squeezed the pressure point between his thumb and forefinger just enough to make the man feel dizzy. It was a silent warning that if Reno moved toward Rufus he would put him down in a heartbeat to save his life and possibly his girlfriend's.

"What is your name, pretty lady?" Rufus inquired, turning his attention back to her. He cupped her face in his hands staring into her dark green eyes.

"Maura," she answered a little too breathily for her taste. She cleared her throat and backed away until his hands fell away from her face. She was sure he already knew her name.

"So this is the one?" he asked, looking past her at someone behind her.

"Yes, she's the one," Tseng replied curtly.

"Is she the one Sephiroth was talking about?" Rufus walked around her in a big circle.

Maura stared straight ahead refusing to look at him or have any kind of reaction. Why was Sephiroth so interested in her? Why was he talking about her? Why had he threatened her?

"Yes, that is her," another male voice answered. It was a deep male voice that sent an arctic chill up her spine because it was so calm, cold, and calculated as if he measured every word before he said it.

Maura was suddenly staring into a pair of glowing bluish green cat like eyes complete with vertical pupils. She had seen those eyes before. She had seen them three times before as a matter of fact. Oh, no. The man backed up from her so she could see him: silver hair that flowed below his waist, dressed all in black leather, those captivating eyes surrounded with enviably thick dark lashes. Sephiroth. She had never seen him up close before. He was beyond handsome; he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. The three men she encountered in the bar were his brothers apparently.* She should have known that when she saw them. Her temper really did get the best of her sometimes and bring out the worst in her. Her mind replayed that day at the bar when she had taunted them and purposely started a fight. Oh, so that was why he had threatened her.

Maura immediately felt like prey being stalked by the two big cats named Rufus Shinra and Sephiroth who circled her and eyed her up and down as if she were something to eat. She ignored both of them and stared straight ahead. A pair of arms encircled her neck and she twisted to face the person while dropping down before he could get a firm grip on her. She pulled the knife from inside her dress that was hidden between her breasts. Moving forward she pressed the knife to Sephiroth's neck. A scream of surprise escaped her when she was seized around the waist. She threw her head back hitting the man soundly in the nose. When he cried out she knew it was Rufus. After he dropped her, she continued right down to the floor in a controlled fall to leg sweep him and bring him to the ground. She jumped up just in time to see Sephiroth headed toward her with a sword drawn.

"STOP!" yelled Genesis practically materializing in front of her. A sharp metallic clang split the air and hung there for an uncomfortably long time.

Maura stared at the back of her savior clad in a red leather jacket with the most beautiful auburn hair that was several shades lighter than hers. She had often wanted to run her fingers through that hair. Surely he would break her fingers for messing up his hair being the egotistical beauty queen that he is. She stepped back when he turned to look at her with his luminescent pale blue eyes. Dammit! How pretty! What the hell is the deal with all of the beautiful men at this freaking place? She stole a glance at Reno. Yep, the redheads around this place rule. She was quite fond of the gangly one being held in place by his partner.

"Are you hurt?" Genesis asked her, touching her face with a hand sheathed in a black leather glove.

"I'm fine. Thank you," she said, assuming she should be grateful that he kept the silver haired devil from hacking her to bits. Surely they would not have allowed for bloodshed here in the office, but just the threat had been frightening enough.

"_The soul that can speak through the eyes, can also kiss with a gaze*,_" he quoted, bringing his lips close to hers. "But I find lips work much better," he said, pressing his lips to hers.

'HE'S NOT GAY!' Maura's mind screamed at her as the man kissed her. She heard a squawk of protest from Reno then a resounding thud like a body hitting the floor. Her thoughts suddenly became muddled when the tongue of the stunning redhead kissing her gently pushed into her mouth between her slightly parted lips. She still held the knife in her hands and brought it up to press the blade against his cheek.

"Is this your idea of gratitude?" he inquired crossly, attempting to lean away from the knife. "For the love of Gaia, not the face."

"No, this is my idea of telling you to get your hands off of me," she growled, pushing him away. She could not be losing her head when a handsome man kisses her because it could cause her to lose her life. She looked down at her unconscious boyfriend laying at Rude's feet.

"Sorry. It had to be done," he stated in his typical brief manner.

"Very nicely done, my dear. I'm impressed," Rufus said, taking his seat at his desk. "Do you want to come to work for us?"

"No! She does not," Reno answered, staggering slightly after he stood up. He jerked away from Rude when the man attempted to steady him. With a hand pressed to his aching head, he moved forward to stand beside Maura. "She can't do this job. She's not a ruthless killer."

"She won't be doing the killing. You and Rude will. She's the bait," the blond replied in a brusque, cold manner. He folded his hands under his chin as he looked at the two redheads standing in front of him. One he knew for sure was extremely troublesome. He openly stared at the pretty one next to him who appeared to be equally taxing.

"She can't do it, Rufus. She has a medical condition where her body seizes and cramps up terribly. What if she has an episode during a mission?" he asked, wishing the hard headed blond would relent and send her away.

"But that's what you're there for. To protect her and complete the mission at all costs," Rufus rejoined.

This was getting nowhere. For every excuse, Rufus had a sound reason as to how it could be handled. Help came in the most surprising and unwanted form.

"What if she stays here with me as my assistant?" Genesis asked, leering at her when he stepped up to her other side.

Maura looked over at him then moved closer to Reno. She grabbed the lapel of his jacket and pulled him into her.

Reno gulped hard realizing she would be in more danger here with Genesis than if she went out on missions with him. He glanced over at the lovely redheaded man who gave him a confident sneer then puckered his lips. Why did he have the distinct feeling the girly-man was telling him to kiss his ass good-bye because he had just won this fight?

Rufus smiled mischievously. He could see the drama unfolding already in front of him. This was bound to be interesting. He had put up with practical jokes from Reno and Zack Fair for years, surely he can handle this. Staring at the three high spirited redheads in front of him, he leaned back in his chair to think. If things got to out of hand he could transfer the girl to a different department – or kill her. He smiled broadly. Either way, life was about to get a whole lot more exciting around here. Let the fun begin.

"Reno, you decide," Rufus said, leaning forward with interest.

"Wh-what?" Reno stuttered, blinking rapidly in confusion.

"You decide what to do with her. Send her out into the face of danger or keep her here where she will safe and sound?" His blue eyes glittered menacingly.

What a hell of a predicament. 'Face of danger my ass. I'm looking at the face of danger,' he thought to himself as he glared at Genesis. He took a deep breath considering the scenarios and options before him which all were varying degrees of evil with no good choice.

"Do I have a choice?" Maura dared to inquire. She received the expected no from Rufus, Reno, and Genesis. With her brow furrowed in anger she resorted to pouting, poking out her full bottom lip which did not go unnoticed by the men.

"Keep her here," Sephiroth interjected, tired of the waiting. Besides, he would not mind having her around to irritate and command. She would be quite a lovely sight bringing him anything and everything he asked for, being at his beck and call. Genesis would have to share because he could not possibly have enough work to keep her busy. Not actual work anyway. A lecherous grin curled his lips when he thought about the two gorgeous redheads going at it on Genesis' desk. It would be an enchanting vision to behold. Which one he wanted more, he honestly could not say.

Reno sighed and rolled his eyes. Dammit! Not him too.

"Tick tock, Reno. You decide or I will," Rufus said in an obviously threatening manner.

"I want her to stay here," he answered in a breathless rush.

Maura gaped at him. Why did she have the distinct feeling her boyfriend just threw her to the wolves?

* * *

*Yes, I am aware that Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj are actually embodiments of Sephiroth. For the purposes of my story they are all separate people and brothers.

* Quote by Gustav Adolfo Becquer


	6. Her First Day

Her First Day

Reno had not spoken to her since the meeting the day before in Rufus Shinra's office. Maura should be angry with him as well since he was the one who decided to leave her in the office at the mercy of Genesis, Sephiroth, and Rufus. Not only was she not angry with him, she was terribly upset that he refused to speak to her.

"How long will you let this go on?" she inquired during the stony silence on the way to work. Today was her first day, and she was already nervous. She did not need the extra added tension of being on the outs with him. She continued to wait for an answer but none came. He could be so damn stubborn.

"Oh, Reno, I love you," she murmured, hopping out of the car. She ran up the steps and disappeared into the building. At least _she_ would not have any regrets if something happened. But how much trouble could she possibly get into working in an office building?

"Good morning, my dear," Tseng greeted her warmly when the elevator opened on to the top floor that housed the offices of three men who were the top officials at the corporation. Tseng must have an office up here as well; or maybe he had a corner in Shinra's office since he seemed to be such a good little guard dog for the top boss.

Maura followed him as he led her to what she guessed would be her small part of their world up here. It appeared her office was between Sephiroth's and Genesis' and across the hall from Rufus's. Dammit! Surrounded on all sides by sexy. She knew many women would love to be in her position and would envy her greatly. If she were not so in love with Reno she was sure she would enjoy it more herself. There probably wouldn't be a moment in the day when one of them did not need something from her. A shiver raced up her spine when her imagination went in an off kilter direction with what some of those possibilities could be of things they would need from her – or to do to her. Damn Reno! He really should have had make up sex with her last night before sending her into this den of gorgeous, desirable men. How obstinate and hard headed does a man have to be to turn down sex for goodness sake? 'Not smart Reno, not smart at all,' she thought to herself.

"I'll leave you alone to familiarize yourself with everything," Tseng said, immediately disappearing from the small office.

"How hard could it be to get familiar with this? It's a twelve by twelve box!" she griped out loud to herself. The furnishings were extraordinarily simple and obvious: a plain wooden desk that dominated the room, a rolling desk chair with the most awful bright orange upholstery, a chair in front of her desk, and a filing cabinet.

Genesis stood in the doorway staring at her backside as she looked all around her tiny and downright ugly office. His eyes moved from her dark auburn head down to her black high heel clad feet. He appreciated her taste in clothes. When she turned he smiled broadly at her. He definitely liked her sense of style. She was wearing a feminized version of a man's suit with a super short black skirt and a necklace that looked like a tie made of diamonds that hung at the bottom point of her low cut white dress shirt.

"You look lovely this morning," he complimented, walking toward her in an unhurried way so he could look her over at his leisure.

Maura kept her eyes on him as he came close to her, flinching when he reached out to ruffle her long red hair. She turned to watch him as he moved around her. He was wearing all black under his red leather coat and red leather gloves. Why had he worn black gloves yesterday? Maybe so he could throw them away if her blood had been shed. He seemed to really like red leather. She leaned against her desk and covered her face with her hands. What had she done? In her desperation to be near Reno, to not be left behind waiting, wondering and worrying anymore, she had made a huge error in judgment and there seemed to be no route to recovery from this.

"What's wrong?" Genesis asked, so close his warm breath tickled her cheek when he spoke.

"I've made a mistake by coming here," she said, looking up into his pale blue eyes that reminded her of glaciers.

"I won't hurt you. You'll be safe with me," he assured her, straddling her legs to move closer to her torso.

Maura held her breath when she realized she was trapped between him and desk. If she moved the slightest bit she would be grazing against the obvious desire he held for her in his black leather pants.

"Genesis, I want to enjoy working for you," she murmured, leaning back when he lowered his head toward hers.

"Oh, trust me," he almost panted, his lips looming inches from hers. "I want it to be a pleasure for the both of us."

"What are you doing?" a deep male voice asked.

They both turned their heads to see Angeal standing there with a lopsided grin on his face. His glowing blue eyes were pinned to the lusty redheaded man then moved to the unfamiliar redheaded woman he was about to ravish on the desk. Yep, he definitely reminded her of what Zack Fair would look like when, or if, he grows up to be a real man. His black hair was longer and lay down instead of standing up in wild spikes like Zack's. He was broader and more muscular with a definitively more rugged virility about him. He was the first 'real' man she had seen among the parade of luscious pretty boys she had been exposed to.

"Being the man of honor that you are, I'm sure you were not about to take advantage of this sweet young lady's virtue, now were you?" Angeal inquired, nailing him with a glare from his penetrating blue eyes.

"O-of course not," he stammered self-consciously, backing away.

Obviously this man's friendship and how Angeal viewed him meant something to Genesis. For some reason, she had the sudden urge to help him. Maura grabbed the lapels of his jacket pulling him back to her. She held open her eye, saying, "It's right there. It's probably an eyelash or something but it really hurts."

Genesis caught on quick and pretended to wipe something out of her eye. "There. I got it. All better?" he asked, turning his back to Angeal and winking at her as he mouthed a 'thank you' to her.

"All better. I'm glad that's over," she replied emphatically, holding his gaze briefly. She covered her mouth with her hand to keep a laugh from coming out when he stuck out his tongue at her. It was revolting how he acted like such a child when denied what he wants. However, it was sweet how he did not want Angeal to think any less of him for being a randy pervert.

"Did you need to talk to me about something?" Genesis inquired, sitting on the edge of her desk beside her while facing the man at the door.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. It was nice meeting you…" he trailed off with embarrassment upon suddenly realizing he had not yet gotten her name.

"Maura," she filled in quickly to receive a smile of gratitude from the dark haired man. "Nice meeting you too, Angeal."

"Another redhead huh?" she heard him ask Genesis while shutting the door behind them. "Reno's girl right?"

Maura laughed when she heard the grunt of a reply from Genesis. 'Hopefully I'm still Reno's girl,' she thought to herself, sitting down on the awful orange upholstered desk chair. She wiggled her behind a bit to settle into the surprisingly comfortable chair. A soft knock sounded at her door making her heart jump into her throat. She gulped to swallow it so she could speak.

"Come in," she called sweetly, opening and closing the drawers to do something to occupy herself. The door opened to reveal a very apologetic looking Reno.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry," he said, still standing in the door.

"You can come on in," she told him, standing up next to her desk. "Lock the door."

"What?" Why did she want him to lock the door?

"Lock the door," she repeated staring at him intently.

Reno turned to look at her after locking the door. He watched in disbelief and wonderment as she pulled up her skirt and slid her panties down her legs. He was too stunned to catch them when she threw them at him leaving them to slide down his face and onto the floor.

"You owe me make up sex along with that apology," she informed him, sitting down on her desk. She propped one of her high heeled feet on the arm of the chair sitting in front of her desk, spreading her legs wide to reveal her naked womanhood to him. "Do you want it or not? I've got another redhead up here who would be more than willing to help himself."

"Not to what's rightfully mine he won't be," Reno muttered with resolve, unbuttoning and unzipping his pants to pull out his fully erect member. He pushed into her before he even pressed a kiss to her lips. Her demanding nature and shocking exposure had driven him straight to an overwhelming sexual thirst that must be quenched.

Maura kissed him briefly, enveloping him in a tight embrace around his shoulders as he thrust into her with forceful abandon. She moaned against his neck as he unleashed the frustration and desire that had been building in him since yesterday.

Reno had wanted to ram her through the mattress last night. After seeing her in action yesterday in Rufus's office he had become so turned on it had astonished him. He had no idea she was capable of things like that. Then that kiss Genesis had given her. It had pissed him off greatly and aroused him to a disturbing degree as well. Seeing her with desire in her eyes always had an immediate effect on him. He looked at her now to see that her eyes were already glassy with strong arousal.

"Reno," she murmured, leaning her head back with slightly parted lips to emit a cadenced groaning while he screwed her hard like he had wanted to all night long. Too bad the happily humping couple did not know they had the undivided attention of two men watching them on a video screen in another room.

* * *

"It's a shame Genesis is missing this," Rufus muttered, watching the two people on the TV screen going at it relentlessly.

"If Angeal had not shown up it would have been Genesis banging her instead of her boyfriend," Sephiroth pointed out, sorely disappointed himself that it was not Genesis.

"Damn, this girl is amazing. I would have never believed she likes it this rough," the blond sighed staring with wide eyes as she yelped with each jarring thrust.

"Hmmmm…I believe these two are having make up sex. There's quite a bit of anger going on there," the cat eyed pervert pointed out, grinning lasciviously as he watched.

"Your idea for the video camera was pure genius," Rufus complimented, shifting uncomfortably in his chair from the pulsating hard on between his legs.

Sephiroth already knew that. He had intended to see the Genesis nail her to the desk, not Reno. No matter. A good lay is a good lay; and Reno actually looked like he might be a great one judging by the look of pure ecstasy on her face and all the noise she was making. "I bet she's a screamer," he surmised out loud.

"How much?" Rufus asked.

"What?" Sephiroth eyed the platinum blond warily.

"How much do you want to bet she's a screamer? Hurry it looks like she's close to coming," Rufus stated, rapidly throwing a fifty dollar bill on his desk. "I bet she bites him."

"Nah. She's not out of control enough for that. I bet he gets a scream out of her though," he returned, throwing his money on the desk.

"What are you doing?" Genesis inquired, coming into the office without knocking.

"Shhh!" both of the other men hissed as if it would be hard to miss what sounded like a cat caught in a wood chipper.

"What the hell…OH DAMMIT, SHE'S GETTER HER BRAINS FUCKED OUT!" he yelled when he stood behind Rufus's desk watching the same image they were.

"It could have been you dipshit if your friend hadn't shown up," Sephiroth mentioned maliciously. Far be it from him to ever spare anyone's feelings.

"Damn degenerates," Genesis growled.

"Who? Us or them?" Rufus asked, staring at the screen. "I don't see you rushing for the door or averting your eyes."

The woman started making a rhythmic 'oh, oh, oh' gaining in volume until it rose to a crescendo ending with an open mouthed scream when she experienced a fantastic orgasm. Ah, dammit. She was a screamer. Sephiroth grinned triumphantlyand picked up the money. All of the men had lost interest in the sex session until they heard her talking. The three gathered back around the screen, giving the unknowing couple their full attention again.

"Reno," she moaned against his lips kissing him hungrily. "Reno, we're making too much noise."

"I don't care. Let them listen. Knowing them, they're probably watching," he muttered, thrusting his tongue into her mouth.

All three men watching the fun giggled like school girls who had been caught smoking in the girls' restroom between classes.

"What?" she mumbled, accidently biting his tongue.

"OW! What what?" he asked, pulling his mouth from hers.

"Are you serious? Would they really be watching?"

"Who cares?"

"You're right," she moaned, lying back on the desk to enjoy the pleasure he was giving her. She was being slid back and forth across the desk from the strength of his pushes. "Are you going to come for me baby?"

"What the hell is she doing?" Genesis inquired when she sat up and reached down between their legs.

Reno suddenly began moaning and bucking like a champion stallion in a rodeo.

"Whatever she did, it feels good to him," Sephiroth remarked, standing a little closer to the sexy redhead by his side. He inhaled deeply smelling the wonderful jasmine scented shampoo he used. If only he could have seen Genesis and Maura together. Maybe one of these days.

"Mmmm, he's about to make her scream again," Rufus moaned, listening to her gear up for another orgasm and another scream.

* * *

"Reno, please stop," she begged after her second orgasm. "Don't you have to go back to work?"

"Yeah, but I like what I'm doing right now. Having you working here might not be so bad after all," he said, thrusting into her and unexpectedly feeling the discharge of semen seconds before the release of his orgasm. He held her close to him shaking in her arms from the intensity of his climax.

They kissed tenderly and sweetly while they recovered from the arduous and unexpected tryst. The compromising quality of their meeting had made it that much more enticing and gratifying.

"I have to go, sweetheart," he said reluctantly tucking himself back into his pants and refastening them.

"I know. I love you," she murmured, kissing him one more time. She called his name so he would turn around. "Come back to me."

"I always come back," he assured her. He would remind her as many times as she needed him to. It had become their special way of saying good-bye. He strode back to her in a few long steps and gathered her in his arms to kiss her ardently whispering 'I love you.' She should always know that he loved her. Just in case.

Maura watched him walk away holding back the tears that tried to fall. With a deep sigh, she decided it was time to get back to business, although she had none at this time. She found her panties and pulled them back on. She checked her makeup and hair then sat down at her desk once again. A content grin spread across her lips while she ran her hands over her desk. Her mind was replaying what had just happened on it. Yep working here might not be so bad after all.


	7. Training Day

Training Day

Maura was in her office sorting through the huge stack of paperwork Rufus had given her. She looked up with curiosity when her door swung open without a knock. The silver haired god man stood there regarding her coolly with his cat eyes before striding over to her desk. Her eyes skimmed over him with curiosity as he stood beside her desk staring at her. What did he want?

"Would you come with me, please?" Sephiroth asked with shocking politeness. He held out his black gloved hand for her with something that was supposed to be a smile on his face.

Maura regarded him apprehensively with abundant misgivings. What fresh new hell awaited her today? Out of the three men she worked for, he was the one she trusted the least. She never knew what to expect from these three men who shared her as an assistant. That right there had been a shock to her system. She had the, obviously erroneous, understanding that she was Genesis' assistant. Apparently not, since all three men gave her orders and always had something for her to do. She and Genesis had seemed to come to an unspoken agreement that as long as he did not hit on her anymore, she would not tell Angeal what a passionate pervert he really was. Rufus never touched her but liked to make suggestive comments and stared at her as if he would eat her alive. Sephiroth she had yet to figure out. She could tell he had a sadistic streak way down deep especially by the way he looked at her sometimes. It seemed as if he was plotting her death at times. Why she even registered on his radar she had no idea. Maybe it was because he had that serial killer mentality where they picked their victims for their own special reasons that only they understood.

"I won't hurt you," he said when she mutely stared at him. He could see the mistrust in her eyes, and he had to give her credit for being an astute observer. Most women were so blinded by his good looks they did not pick up on his evil tendencies until it was too late. He did not hurt just women; he liked to abuse men and women alike. He was an equal opportunity deviate.

Maura stood up, ignoring his hand. "What do you need me for?"

Sephiroth's eyes danced over her body. She was wearing a silk tank top and a short skirt. He wondered what she had on underneath. It did not matter. He would find out soon enough.

"I need help with a training exercise. We'll be working with Genesis, Angeal, and Zack today. You showed some interesting skills during your interview. I can put those to good use," he said, taking her by the arm. He squeezed hard enough to be insistent but not to hurt her. "I'm taking you to the training deck."

Genesis was standing in the observation room watching Angeal and Zack in the training room. They were fully engaged in a fierce fight within a complete virtual scenario. He turned with casual interest when the door opened then gaped in shock when Sephiroth walked in with Maura.

"Why is she here?" he inquired, wondering what the hell Sephiroth was up to.

"We're going to have hostage training," he said, adjusting his gloves.

Maura did not like the sound of that. She watched with rising alarm as he pulled out his huge sword and ran his hand down it in a manner that struck her as almost loving.

"Shut them down," he ordered Genesis. "I'm ready to get this started."

Genesis hit a button which immediately put an end to their virtual reality scenario. He glared at the general. "Any particular program you want?"

"No. Any will do," he responded coldly.

Maura caught Genesis' eye for momentary contact but was unable to read anything in his eyes before she was snatched into the training room. She avoided the questioning gaze of the two black haired, blue eyed men who seemed to be as confused as she was. Her breath caught in her throat when she was suddenly pulled back against Sephiroth with his arm around her throat. She held her breath when she felt the cold steel of the sword blade pressed against her leg.

"What is she doing here?" Zack asked, glaring at her with irritation and something that looked like concern.

Maura was getting tired of that question mostly because she already felt awkward and out of place being here against her will. She would not have to wait much longer to see what was in store for her. Her eyes moved nervously between the men staring at their huge swords that glinted ominously in the harsh lights of the very drab industrial looking room. Suddenly it was if they were transported to a tropical paradise. The illusion was so real she could even feel the grass beneath her feet. Her cold body felt as if it were being warmed by the sunshine above. Damn. Who slipped what in her coffee this morning? She closed her eyes momentarily as Sephiroth held her tightly against his warm powerful body. Maybe it was just his body heat sinking into hers. Her eyes popped open wide when he shifted against her, and she felt a stunning hardness pressed into her back.

"She's my hostage. Take her if you can," he challenged, raising his sword.

"Shit!" Maura screamed in fear as both men rushed at them with swords raised. She closed her eyes and grabbed Sephiroth's arm. The clanging of metal meeting metal reverberated inside her skull. Her body was twisted and jerked from side to side as he fended them off. The noise stopped and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was too soon feel safe. She felt something frigid and metallic slip under her shirt. Her eyes opened she heard the distinct tearing of fabric. Her eyes went to the other two men whose attention was elsewhere. She looked down to see that they were staring at her breasts that could be seen easily through her lacey white bra. Her shirt had been cut from her body. A scream tore from her throat when Sephiroth suddenly twisted her neck painfully as if he intended to break it.

"Learn to fight beyond the distractions!" he yelled at them causing them to move their gaze to him. He cupped her breast with one of his hands, squeezing it gently as his lips pressed against her neck. "It would be a shame to kill such a beautiful distraction. Are you going to save her or not?"

Maura was terrified _and_ turned on at this point. Sick son of a bitch. She moaned unintentionally when he pinched the nipple while licking her neck from her ear to collar bone.

"Stop it!" Zack bellowed, rushing toward Sephiroth. He should have thought and calculated before he acted. He was kicked in the stomach and thrown back on his behind by the sicko psycho holding her.

"This is unnecessary don't you think?" Angeal demanded, raising his massive buster sword in a threatening manner. His handsome features were transformed into a mask of rage directed at Sephiroth. However, he was not as impulsive as Zack.

"I'm training you to deal with all possible scenarios. Do you really want to get killed because you're preoccupied with a pretty piece of ass?" After saying that, he cut her skirt away in short order, leaving her standing there in front of them in nothing but a transparent lace bra and panties.

Maura was humiliated and getting furious at this point. She wiggled around a bit to loosen one of her high heeled shoes from her foot as the two men faced each other in a silent battle of wills. They were too focused on each other to notice her. She kicked up her high heel to catch it in her hand and use it as a weapon against him as she wrenched her body out of his grip. Unfortunately, he grabbed her wrist when she faced him and forced her arm down before she could stab it into his eye.

"Did you really think you could save yourself? Stupid woman," he remarked with an air of superiority, grinning at her like a psychopath.

Maura smiled back at him humorlessly. "No. But I distracted you enough that they could save me. Take your own advice asshole. Don't get distracted by the pretty piece of ass," she growled, kicking him in the stomach to send him stumbling backwards a few steps. She felt herself being pulled and then shoved backwards by Zack. Another strong pair of hands grabbed her and kept her from falling. Angeal steadied her on her feet then with a nod of acknowledgement took off toward Sephiroth with his sword at the ready. She looked around, wondering where in the hell the door could be to get her out of here. Her eyes landed on the hut behind her, and she took a chance. She opened the door and found herself in the observation room where Genesis stood waiting for her. Dropping to her knees with relief, she panted for much needed air.

"Are you hurt?" Genesis asked gently, pulling his coat off. He held her hand and pushed it into the sleeve, putting the coat on her to cover her up.

Maura gratefully accepted it since she was shivering with cold. She felt herself being brought to her feet then she was pulled against a strong chest covered with a soft black shirt. Her face pressed against his chest to feel his heart beat beneath her cheek.

"Are you hurt?" he repeated, putting his arms around her.

"No. I'm frightened and ashamed but I'm not physically hurt," she told him, shaking even more violently.

"I think you're in shock. You did very well," he complimented her because she had held herself together and acted calmly despite the fear. Not only did she not fall apart and dissolved into tears, she had actually fought back against Sephiroth.

"Thank you," she said, turning her face up to look at him. Her wide, scared green eyes locked on his blue ones.

"You're welcome," he replied, his eyes lingering on her full pink lips which were wet from her nervously licking them. He remembered how good those lips felt. Before he could stop himself, he lowered his head to feel them beneath his lips again.

Maura was already in shock and now she was too stunned to do anything but allow him to kiss her. It was a tender, caring kiss that was undemanding and nonsexual. She felt like he cared about her, like he was worried about her.

"Genesis, I –" she began but he cut her off with another brief kiss.

"I know. I know how you feel about Reno," he assured her, pulling her head back against his chest. He pressed the kill switch on the training exercise when he heard Zack yell in pain.

"Oh, my god!" Maura gasped when she saw the long deep gash on his cheek.

"That's enough!" Angeal yelled when Sephiroth raised his sword aggressively. He stood between the man and Zack to hold him off. "He needs to go to the infirmary."

"Why don't you take him? You could probably stand to get checked out as well," Genesis encouraged her, watching Angeal assist the injured man out of the room.

"All right," she answered him. Turning her attention to Zack who had his hand pressed against the wound but blood was seeping through his fingers and running down his hand. "Come on. Let's go," she said to him, taking his other hand in hers.

"You're going with me? Are you all right?" he asked, looking at her obvious worry.

"No. Not really," she replied truthfully.

"I'll help you," he said, putting his arm around her to lead her to the elevator. He kept glimpsing furtively at her when they were in the elevator. "I miss you. Are you happy with Reno?"

Maura stared at him as if he had two heads when he asked her that. Now was not a good time for this kind of conversation. She leaned against the wall of the elevator when dizziness overwhelmed her.

"Zack, please, don't ask such a thing," she implored him watching his face go out of focus.

"Maura, what's wrong?"

"I-I don't know."

* * *

Maura awoke shielding her eyes from the bright white light blinding her. She looked around to see she was in a small bed in the infirmary. Her body finally felt warm and she snuggled down under the blanket covering her to enjoy the warmth. She pulled at the oxygen tubes inside her nose, removing them because it hurt. Her eyes fluttered closed and she was about to fall asleep when a crashing noise startled her.

"Maura!" Reno yelled.

Oh, good Reno's here. And he's completely panicked. Wonderful.

"Are you all right?" he asked in a voice that was way too loud. He grabbed her, shaking her which did not help at all.

"I think so. Sweetheart, please stop. You're hurting me and I'm cold," she whined without meaning to.

Reno stopped immediately and carefully lay her down. He noticed she was wearing only her bra and underwear when he covered her back up with the thick blanket. He could feel her body shaking now. What the hell had happened to her today? Lying down beside her, he pulled her close and kissed her cheek and forehead.

"I love you, Reno," she murmured, sounding sleepy.

"I love you too. Can you tell me what happened?" he asked.

"Later. I'm so tired."

"She doesn't belong here!" Sephiroth announced loudly, striding into the room purposefully.

Oh, great. Now Prince Charming has arrived. Could this day get any better?

"Yo, I tried to tell you that, asshole!" Reno yelled at him, standing up beside the bed.

"I'll kill you right here you insolent bastard!" the irate silver haired man bellowed back.

"Would you get out please?" Zack asked, walking into the room.

Maura suddenly wished Sephiroth had killed her. She would not have to deal with a room full of angry men. Forcing herself to sit up, she waved for Zack to come to the bed. The sheet fell around her waist momentarily getting their attention and causing them to be quiet.

"How's your face?" she asked, sliding her finger along the stitched gash on his cheek.

"I'm all right. What about you?" he queried, moving closer to her. He pressed his fingers against her cheek while laying his other hand along her neck.

"I'll be okay. I'm just tired. I had an unnecessary fright today," she muttered, glowering at Sephiroth who immediately stopped staring at her breasts after receiving the fierce look. "Pardon me for being a little bit freaked out because you tried to kill me, asshole."

"That's General Asshole to you, little Missy," he said actually smiling at her. "I didn't try to kill you. It was hostage training. You're not fit to work here."

Unbelievable.

"If you can't recall what happened, I'd be more than happy to show you the video," Genesis offered, appearing in the room. This had become a regular family reunion. They would put the fun in dysfunctional. "She got away from you. She had no weapon and even got a hit on you. Just because it wasn't a finishing blow doesn't mean it wasn't effective. I called it off before Angeal and Zack killed you. Don't act like they wouldn't have."

Sephiroth made a tsking sound, throwing Maura a look of unrestrained loathing. He tossed his long gorgeous mane like a miffed beauty queen and stomped out of the room. He could not deny a thing that Genesis had just said.

"Take her home," Genesis ordered, turning to leave the room. "I expect to see you here in the morning just like always, Maura."


	8. This is Normal?

This is Normal?

Maura took the coffee and special pastry she had brought just for him into Genesis' office. Since he was on the phone she was going to set them down and leave, but he motioned for her to stay. She occupied herself with looking at the books on the shelf in his office rather than making them both uncomfortable by sitting and staring at him. Staring at him was a good option because he was worth a long gaze or two, but not while on a business call. Her eyes fell on a book bound with white leather with one simple word in gold on the spine: LOVELESS. She pulled it out, running her fingers over the intricately decorated cover. She would dare to bet that real gold leaf was used to make the delicate and beautiful markings on the cover. Flipping to the last page of the book, her heart stopped when she read the very last line. _Of course...I'll come back to you. Even if you don't promise to wait. I'll return knowing you'll be here. _

"It's my favorite," Genesis whispered in her ear, resisting the urge to chuckle when she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Oh, Gaia!" she yelled, leaning back against him due to her weakened knees while she closed her eyes. Breathing deeply to still her violently beating heart, she realized that she put herself in a precarious situation as his arms wrapped around her.

"Every woman wants a hero," he murmured, his lips grazing her ear.

Maura felt her skin prickle and tingle then goose bumps rose to the surface from her head to her toes. She had a hero; more than one hero actually. One of them held her in his arms at this moment. Another held her heart and her love in the palm of his hand.

"Are you cold?" he asked, gliding his hands down her arms.

Maura gasped and jumped again, startled by the skin to skin contact. She looked down at his hands to see that he was not wearing his gloves. His hands were incredibly soft and felt like silk across her skin. Her blood pounded through her ears when her heart beat faster because his velvety lips grazed her earlobe. This time it was no accident. Warmth flowed over her body, gathering deep within her in a growing desire. His lips pressed against her neck which sent off another surge of arousal that affected her entire body. _Even if you don't promise to wait._ Reno. She could not allow this to happen.

"Genesis, please stop," she croaked weakly, her throat feeling incredibly dry. Her body was doing its best to prevent her from protesting. She wanted him, but she had a man who loved and trusted her.

"He would never know," he whispered, stroking his fingers along her neck. "It would be our secret."

Maura bit the inside of her lower lip until the metallic taste of blood flooded her mouth. She resisted the urge to moan his name in a plea to stop seducing her when his hands moved down her neck and across her chest that was bared from her low cut white button down shirt.

"I would know. I can't betray him. I would really like for this to happen, but it can't," she said, stepping away from him. She turned to look at him.

Genesis smiled at her as the dark pink blush bloomed across her cheeks when their eyes met. It was astounding how she could maintain a modicum of innocence, although he knew she was not chaste at all after what he saw her and Reno do on her desk. Despite that, she was a woman of virtue and honor because Reno was her only man and she was determined to stay true to him. Most women would take advantage of his constant absences and would even use that as an excuse to justify their cheating.

"You're a good woman. I wish I had found you first," he stated with sadness in his voice, releasing her from his arms. His eyes stayed on her as he watched her walk away.

Maura stopped at the door, turning back to look at him.

"I just wanted to say thank you. For the other day. You are a hero to me," she said, offering him a smile of gratitude before leaving. Being distracted, she bumped right into the person walking down the hall as soon as she exited the door.

"Maura?"

"Reno!"

"I was just coming to get you," he told her, taking her by the hand to lead her to the elevator.

"Me? Why?" she asked, crying out in surprise when he jerked her into the elevator. She watched with fascination as he put a key inside a panel he opened on the elevator keypad. He pushed a button and the elevator went up. "There's another floor?"

"The roof. I'm leaving. I want you to watch me take off," he said, removing the key and putting it back in his pocket.

"Take off?" she queried, staring at him in confusion.

"Yeah. I'm a helicopter pilot," he explained.

"Oh," she responded. She had never known that before. Did he forget he never told her anything about what he did?

Maura shielded her eyes from the blinding sun as they stepped out onto the roof. Once her eyes adjusted she could see the massive black helicopter sitting on the helipad at the ready. She could see Rude already inside and there were two more people in the back. One of the people was Tseng and the other one was a…a woman. She had long red hair and wore a masculine looking suit so her appearance would be just like the others. Odd…Reno never mentioned there was a woman on their team. How well did that work out when they were alone on missions? The tension builds, the stress is overwhelming, and fear is a constant companion; so seeking solace one night they find themselves alone together and…and she was letting her imagination run away with her. However, she knew how much temptation she dealt with at the office. How much worse could it be for them out there when they are purposely putting themselves in danger?

"Are you all right?" Reno inquired, putting his arms around her to hold her against him.

"Yeah. It's time to leave me again," she remarked, hugging him tightly.

"You know I never want to do this," he said, tilting her head up to look into her eyes.

"I know. It just never gets any easier," she sighed, closing her eyes as he lowered his head to kiss her. Her body trembled under his touch. She was glad he had made love to her last night so that would hold her over until he returns. She would recall the lovely words he said to her to get her through the lonely evenings. The declarations of love and promises of the future whispered in the dark while he slowly drove her insane with pleasure. She sighed loudly against his lips that were still pressed against hers in a heartfelt kiss.

"I love you. I'll come back to you," he murmured, his lips grazing hers because they were still so close.

"Reno, you _always_ come back to me," she rejoined, standing on her tiptoes in her high heeled shoes to push her lips against his. Her arms wrapped around his neck to hold him close just a moment longer.

"Come on, Loverboy! Let's go!" Tseng bellowed from the helicopter.

"Wait for me," Reno whispered in her ear, stroking her cheek as he gave her one last long gaze.

Maura stared into his luminous blue eyes feeling the tears sting hers. She always hated this part.

"I love you, Reno," she said, holding out her arm as he walked away to allow his fingers to glide along hers in attempt to extend their contact just a few seconds longer. It was actually a relief when he turned and ran to the helicopter. If he had held eye contact any longer, she would have dissolved into tears.

A whirring sound filled the air as the long blades of the helicopter began to spin. The noise grew to an ear splitting whine when they were up to full speed and ready for take-off. Maura stared at him through the window as he lifted the big bird off the helipad. She stayed and watched until the helicopter was nothing more than a black dot in the sky. Taking a deep breath to resign herself to the fact he was gone again, she made her way back to her office. She lay her head down on her desk and allowed herself to indulge in a good cry so she would be able to get on with the rest of her day.

* * *

"That is the saddest thing I've ever seen in my life," Rufus remarked very unsympathetically while he watched her image on the TV screen.

"Genesis, why don't you go to her?" Sephiroth suggested with a lascivious grin on his face.

"No. If I do, I'll have sex with her. You know that always happens in this kind of situation," he stated without trying to mask his disgust for the man.

"Yes, exactly!" he exclaimed happily, his eyes glittering menacingly.

Genesis made a noise to relay his aggravation and turned away. The sound of her sorrowful sobbing filled his ears. How could those two assholes just stand there watch a woman in such misery? The sickest part was they seemed to be enjoying it. He growled and cursed and walked out of the door.

* * *

Maura popped up when the knock sounded on her door, snatching a handful of tissues from the box on her desk to dry her eyes.

"Come in," she squawked, clearing her throat. How embarrassing; crying like a baby at work over her boyfriend.

"I heard you –" He was cut short by her throwing herself against his chest to begin crying again.

Maura knew she was acting irrationally but she felt she had the right to do so. If they wanted to fire her, she was okay with that. They would be doing her a favor.

"Calm down. It will be okay," he assured her, stroking her silky auburn hair.

"I know. It just always hurts so much," she wailed, burying her face in his soft thick shirt.

"You're getting me all wet," he snapped mockingly, pretending to be offended.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, backing away from him. A surprised grunt escaped her when he seized her to bring her back into his arms and against his body.

"I'm just joking. It's all right," he assured her, running his bare hands through her hair. It felt so smooth and soft against his fingertips.

Maura kept her head down so neither one of them would be tempted to indulge in a kiss. Her body shuddered from her intense crying, and he grabbed her arm. She gasped from his hand accidentally brushing across her breast when her body convulsed with a strong sob.

"Stop it," he whispered, but not in a mean way. He wanted her to quit moving.

Maura hoped temptation did not get the better of her one of these days. She always thought it would be Cloud who would do her in but now she believed Genesis had become the bigger lure. Her body quivered when she felt his fingertips caressing her arm. Her breathing got harder and faster as his hand neared her breast. How much enticement could she be expected to endure before giving in?

"Maura," Genesis whispered, nuzzling into her hair to inhale her scent. She smelled like lavender and vanilla; what a remarkable aroma. Innocent and sweet, alluring and inviting. His body tightened with apprehension and need when his hand covered her breast.

Maura held her breath, placing her hands on his waist. Her body rubbed against his, and she felt his burgeoning desire below his belt buckle.

"Genesis, I…" her words died in her throat when she looked into his eyes.

"Don't say anything," he ordered her softly, squeezing her breast.

Maura panted slightly attempting to control her breathing. Her self-control was diminishing fast and she could not get herself to move or speak. All she could manage was a baleful moan when his fingers slipped inside her shirt to push her bra aside so he could touch her naked breast. A burning flash of heat and arousal engulfed her from the skin to skin contact when his smooth hand enclosed her breast. He had the most wonderful hands.

"Oh, my goddess," he groaned, rubbing his bulging crotch against her.

'Make him stop! Just say something you idiot!' the logical side of her brain screamed at her. 'Don't you dare stop him. Relax and enjoy it. Let him touch you. Let him make love to you,' her carnal, animal side beckoned her. She felt herself being pushed toward her desk. Without resisting, she allowed him to pick her up and sit her on the desk. Her fingers ran through his hair luxuriating in the silky texture of it.

"Genesis, please don't do this. I can only say this once because I can't resist you any longer. I don't want to cheat on Reno. I like you, but I can't respect you if you keep going," she said bluntly, watching him sit down heavily in her chair. That seemed to bring them both out of their sexual arousal induced haze.

"Woman, you are the most enchanting yet infuriating creature I have ever met," he complained, rubbing his hands over his face.

"I need to get back to work," Maura announced, hopping off the desk. "What would you like for me to do for you?"

Genesis' head snapped in her direction, his eyes locking with hers. He had a mischievous glint in his eye as he cocked an eyebrow teasingly. "That's really not a good question to ask me right now."

"Oh," she murmured, blushing brightly. Her eyes unintentionally went to the massive proof of his excitement in his leather pants. "Oh! I'm so sorry."

"Is oral sex cheating?" he asked naughtily.

"Genesis!" she exclaimed, slapping him playfully.

"DAMMIT!" Sephiroth's voice echoed from down the hall.

"What's his problem?" she muttered, putting her hand on Genesis' shoulder.

"Who knows? I'm sure he didn't get his way about something."

Genesis had no idea how right he was in making that statement. It was just another normal day at work. Who knew normal could be so strange?


	9. The Betrayal

The Betrayal

Maura was sitting on a bench in the park watching the children play as the sun dipped low on the horizon. She was in no hurry to get home. All that awaited her was an empty apartment. The crushing loneliness was becoming unbearable. She loved Reno, but she did not know how much more she could take. A pitiful lovelorn sigh gushed through her lips. She hated thinking like this. A rose appeared in front of her face. Her eyes moved the golden gauntlet on the hand holding it which gave away the identity of the person who stood behind her.

"Where have you been Vincent? I've missed you," she murmured, taking the rose from him. She pushed her nose into it and inhaled deeply.

"I would ask why you're so sad beautiful lady, but I already know," he said, coming around the bench to sit beside her. "How long has he been gone this time?"

"Just a week so far," she answered, trying to sound nonchalant about it.

Vincent could hear the underlying sadness in her voice. He reached over to push away the hair that had fallen forward and veiled her face from him.

Maura willed herself not to react when his stone cold fingers grazed her cheek. When she did not wince, she could tell he was testing her when he brushed his fingers down her neck. Once again, she remained still. A smile curled the edges of her lips.

"You're not afraid of me?" he inquired, his red eyes studying her face.

"I've never been afraid of you. Only surprised," she stated confidently, turning her head to make eye contact with him.

"Maura, you need to end it," he told her, his voice holding an ominous tone.

"End what?" she asked, not knowing what he was referring to.

"End your relationship with Reno and your job with Shinra," he practically ordered her, standing up to leave.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, grabbing his bare hand. "Don't issue me a command then leave. Explain to me why."

"Because you will get hurt very badly. Definitely emotionally, possibly physically. Maybe even killed," he warned her but he was too late on the physical warning.

Maura informed him of the incident with Sephiroth during the training session. She could see the anger building within him. He knew a whole lot more about the Shinra Electric Power Company than he was telling and probably more than she wanted to know.

"Can I walk you home?" he asked, helping her to her feet by holding both of her hands in his.

Maura blushed from the courtly gesture. He was always such a gentleman. She was surprised when he held her hand on the way to her apartment. Her body heat felt like it was being sapped away by his frigid palm but she did not mind. Apparently he found holding her hand comforting or maybe he thought he was comforting her; either way, they were both okay with it and enjoyed the nonsexual closeness. She held his hand until they were standing at the door of her apartment, and she had to dig around in her purse for her keys.

"Maura please, I'm telling you as a friend. Get out of both situations now. You do realize if Reno is ordered to kill you for any reason, he will do it," Vincent advised her, not above using the shocking information to make her heed his words.

Maura dropped her keys when he said that. She cursed and bent to pick them up, stopping when his hand enclosed hers. Her eyes gazed deeply into his as they crouched in front of the door.

"I already know that. I try not to think about it," she admitted, standing up to unlock her door. "Thank you for walking me home."

Vincent looked at her, contemplating using one last outrageous tactic to get her attention. He lunged at her and seized the back of her head, pressing his lips to hers.

Maura's scream of shock was stifled between their tightly locked lips. The thing that was even more shocking to her than the kiss itself was that his lips were warm. Her head felt as if it were about to float off her shoulders when his lips moved across hers and lingered for a unexpectedly long time.

Vincent smiled upon seeing her glazed eyes when he ripped his lips from hers. He kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly. He cared deeply about her just like he did all of his friends. No longer could he idly stand by and let her keep walking into danger day after day. When she had begun dating Reno, it had been bad enough. Now that she worked at that hell hole it was too much to endure. He had kept telling himself that it was none of his business and that she was adult. But she was also his friend and a very naïve one at that.

"Just seriously think about it, okay? You've already experienced what they're capable of. Do you think employees have not suddenly come up missing before? No questions will be asked. They never are. It will be as if you _never_ existed," he told her, seeing fear appear in her eyes for the first time. Good. Hopefully the direness of the situation was sinking in.

Maura did not say anything. Arguing with him was useless and he was scaring the hell out of her. She knew these things instinctively but it was startling hearing them out loud and in such a forthright manner.

"Good night, my dear. Just think about everything I've told you," he said, bowing slightly and turning to go.

Maura stared after him long after his red cape had disappeared from her view. How could she not think about that?

* * *

Maura moaned irritably, rolling over to grab her phone that just signaled a text message. Her phone was always on in case Reno tried to contact her. She had fallen into a deep sleep after fitfully tossing for hours. She flipped open the phone to see there was a picture instead of a text. Once her eyes focused, she was wishing they had not. Her phone beeped again alerting her to another message. Her hand shook as she pressed the button to open it.

"Oh, no, no, no," she gasped staring at the picture in disbelief. There was her redheaded boyfriend with his manhood buried in that female Turk she had seen in the helicopter. So her imagination had not run that wild after all and had only been cautioning her as to what was going to happen.

The beeping became a shrill alarm bell as more damning images were sent to her phone. For some reason, she looked at them all. Maybe it was because she did not quite believe it yet. Possibly because it was one of those terrible things so horrifying and disgusting that you can't rip your eyes from it no matter how much you want to. She was still too shocked to cry at this point. Her hand clutched the phone so strongly her fingers ached. Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest while she flipped through the pictures again.

After torturing herself for an hour by looking at the pictures over and over, Maura finally threw the phone across the room. She could not take it anymore. The tears came. They rolled down her face silently at first. Rocking her body back and forth to try to gain some kind of comfort, she began to emit a low, plaintive howl. The sound slowly rose in volume until she had to bury her face in her pillow to cover her screams. It felt like she was dying or maybe it was because she wholehearted wished she were dead. She never knew it could hurt this bad. He betrayed her. How long had this been going on? How many times has it happened before? Had there been others? None of that really mattered. It happened and she knew about it. Who took those damn pictures and sent them? Surely Rude would not do something so cruel. Besides, she really couldn't imagine him as a perverted voyeur to get the pictures in the first place.

Maura watched the sun come up with her red, swollen eyes. Forcing herself out of the bed and into the shower, she was determined to go to work today. This would not break her spirit. This was not the end of her life. Besides, today might be the day Reno came back. She wanted to inform him in person this would be the last time he came back to her.

* * *

Sephiroth had been quite pleased with the pictures his spy had taken of the two Turks in bed together. He would love to have been there to see Maura's reaction when she received the pictures. At first, curiosity was the only reason he had chosen her as his private play toy. He had been intrigued to know that she had tempted and enticed his brothers into getting in a fight when she worked at that dumpy little bar. Then that idiot Tseng decided to offer her a job which dropped her right into his clutches. She just happened to be at the wrong place at the right time so he picked her as the next victim in the sick games he liked to play. When she was stubborn and determined, not easily broken and manipulated like he thought she would be, it pissed him off and he made it personal.

A mirthless smile split his face when he envisioned what a tortured soul she must have been; crying and screaming from the agony of seeing her beloved boyfriend screwing another woman. It was going to happen sooner or later. He just gave things a much needed push to move them along. He had ordered that Cissnei be along on that mission and had set up circumstances so they would inevitably wind up in bed together. Poor, pitiful, heartbroken Maura. He could not wait to see her sorrowful, downcast face. Hearing the elevator open, he flipped on the monitor in his office so he could watch her. He wanted to enjoy this show all alone today.

* * *

Maura plopped down heavily into her desk chair. She was exhausted, but she could not sleep so she came to work. Hopefully work would offer a much needed distraction to keep her mind from replaying that horrible slide show of indecent and damning pictures. Their relationship was over. She knew it and planned to tell Reno as soon as possible. After spinning around in her chair a few times and staring at her office ceiling, she decided to get up and fix her three bosses their morning coffee. She needed something to do to keep from thinking.

* * *

Sephiroth quickly flipped off the monitor when she approached his office door. He attacked the stack of paperwork in front of him, acting as if he had been busy for hours.

"Come in," he barked impatiently when her soft knock sounded on his door. He was pretending to be grumpy and aggravated as usual. It was hard to keep the smile off of his face. He was a sadistic bastard and he knew it. It pleased him and downright thrilled him to see other people in horrid emotional and physical pain.

"I brought you this," Maura said, her voice low and weak. She set the coffee on his desk and turned to leave.

Sephiroth allowed the cruel grin to twist his lips when her back was turned to him. He took a sip of the coffee, deciding to speak as her hand touched the doorknob.

"Are you all right this morning? You look tired. Are you ill?" he inquired, holding the cup to his lips to hide his vicious joy that had come at her expense.

"I'm okay, sir. I-I just did not sleep well last night," she stammered, holding the tray in one hand so she could open the door.

Sephiroth noticed the uncharacteristic stutter in her speech and knew she was terribly upset. He could almost hear the sound of her spirit breaking along with her heart.

"Will there be anything else, Sephiroth?" she asked dutifully, keeping her eyes on the floor.

Oh, yes. He had broken her down at last. This was an epic day. "No. Nothing more. Will you be headed to Genesis' office next?"

"Yes, sir. Why?" Maura had wanted to hurry up and get the hell out of there.

"Here. Take him this," he ordered, holding out a piece of paper. He smiled upon hearing her deep sigh of irritation when she had to walk all the way back to his desk. His smile never wavered and only grew wider when she peevishly snatched the paper from him and turned abruptly on her heel to walk back.

"Good day, sir," she curtly remarked and walked out the door. She refused to give him a chance to hold her any longer.

Sephiroth turned on the camera he had installed in Genesis' office. That camera had been put in as a precautionary measure in case the event he was hoping for took place there. It had been disturbingly easy to induce her boyfriend into a compromising circumstance. She was the last great hold out and she was pissing him off. Today had to be the day.

* * *

Genesis was busy at his desk, not even looking up after he had distractedly bid her entrance. Maura silently walked over to him, receiving a cursory glance when she put the cup down along with a piece of paper. She forced a smile when he did a double take after the initial glimpse of her.

"What is it?" he asked, dropping what he was doing to walk around his desk to her.

"What do you mean?" she queried, feigning ignorance. She knew he wanted to know why she was upset. It showed all over her pale, drawn face. There were dark circles under her eyes that were still rimmed with red. She looked like hell and she knew it.

"What happened?" He pulled off his gloves so he could touch her and feel her skin under his fingertips. He stroked her puffy cheeks while looking into her bloodshot eyes. What the hell had distressed her this much? She was not the type to freak out and go off the deep end about small things.

"I-I need to leave." The tears were already building in her eyes and she did not want to cry anymore.

Genesis grabbed her arm, taking the tray from her to sit it on his desk. He pulled her back to him, putting his arms around her securely so she could not run away.

"Tell me," he ordered her rather than asking.

"I'll get all emotional and hysterical," she warned him a calm voice that contradicted her statement.

"I don't care."

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"If it upset you this much then yeah. I thought we were friends," he said, pulling her head back to look at her.

"I suppose we are," she responded, managing a tight smile.

"Tell me," he repeated, feeling her body shudder.

Maura took a deep breath and allowed the whole story to gush from her lips as if a dam had broken within her. She cried just like she said she would, and he patiently held her stroking her hair.

"So what are you going to do now?" he inquired when she was done. He wiped the last few remaining tears from her face with his handkerchief.

"It's over," she replied bluntly.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

Genesis looked down at the broken woman in his arms. He knew he should not do this, but he could not help himself. His head lowered to hers and his mouth covered hers for a kiss. He wanted to take her pain away, to see her smile again. She was always been so strong and stubborn and sometimes a pain in the ass. At this moment, she was weak and defeated. It was difficult to see her this way.

"Genesis, please," Maura murmured.

"Please what? What do I do? What do you want?" he questioned her, looking into her emerald colored eyes.

"I don't want to do this here and now."

"Then when and where?"

* * *

Author's Note: Please don't stop reading here. There's more to the story I assure you. To avoid spoiling anything, all I can say is there are some suprising twists and turns ahead.


	10. The Confrontation

The Confrontation

"I'm not having sex with you here in the office," Maura said, looking into his icy blue eyes that immediately looked as frigid as their color.

"Oh, only Reno gets that treatment," Genesis snapped, biting his lip and rolling his eyes. He could not believe he just let that slip out. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Excuse me?" she retorted, pushing away from him. "How do you know about that?"

"Well, I, uh…um, you see…ah, dammit," he grumbled, scratching the back of his head as he struggled for an excuse. Then it came to him. "It's not like you two were being quiet exactly. You're quite the screamer."

"GENESIS!" she yelled, her face turning crimson.

Genesis winced and stepped back from her. She could reach loud volumes beyond sex as well. He looked at her, fearing for her safety because her face appeared to be turning purple. He was afraid she would be fainting soon. That might be for the best so she could not throw a fit like it appeared she was about to do.

A pulsing _whoomp, whoomp, whoomp_ sound caught their attention and made them both stop. They stared at the ceiling as the sound got louder: the sound of a helicopter landing on the roof. Reno was about to make an extremely untimely entrance.

"Bastard!" she shrieked, turning her wild and furious eyes on Genesis. "Have you got a key to go to the roof?"

"Yeah, but –" He was about to try to convince her it would not be a good idea to meet Reno up there but he knew that would be a futile pursuit.

"Come on!" she bellowed, grabbing his hand to pull him to the elevator.

"Oh, shit," he muttered, when the doors closed behind them. He had the sinking feeling that an emotional bomb was about to explode. He could feel her vibrating with fury since she was still holding his hand.

As soon as the elevator opened to the roof, Maura dropped Genesis' hand and charged out toward the helipad. She did not seem to notice the dirt and debris blowing into her from the high wind stirred up by the blades of the helicopter. Her steps were deliberate and measured as her eyes attached themselves to the redheaded pilot inside of the machine. She was standing right at the door when he finally shut down the engines and it began to die down.

"What the hell are you doing out here? You could have gotten hurt!" Reno yelled when he slid back the door.

Maura drew back her fist and slammed it right into his jaw. He fell backwards into the helicopter, landing in Tseng's lap.

"It's over asshole!" she screamed, glaring at the puzzled redhead who was sitting between his bosses legs but was too shocked and confused to move. Her eyes moved to the startled Cissnei who quickly averted her eyes to avoid eye contact with the livid woman. "I hope you'll be happy. He's all yours."

"Dammit!" Reno exclaimed, realizing what the problem was now. "Let me explain."

"Explain what, Reno? Wasn't it you that was always adamant about making me stay away from the other guys when I was upset? How many times was I lectured on the 'accidents' that can happen between men and women? Was all of that spoken out of a knowing and guilty heart?" she asked, grabbing him by the hair and kicking him behind the knees to drive him down to a kneeling position.

"Oh, damn," Genesis muttered under his breath, walking toward her to stop her. He was coming up behind her and he thought she could not see or hear him.

"Touch me and you're next," she warned, turning her luminescent green eyes on him.

"What the hell…" he muttered in shock as he looked at her. How did she know he was there? What was with her eyes? "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned*," he quoted, reaching his hands out to her.

"What?" she shrieked, her face flushing a bright pink color as her rage grew.

"Maura, let him go. He's not worth it," he said, taking a step toward her. He was sure she had every intention of killing her philandering boyfriend with her bare hands right here on the rooftop with several witnesses.

"Yo, Genesis, what the hell!" Reno yelled indignantly. He still had some pride left, however, it was waning fast as she held him in a position of submission at her feet.

"Shut up stupid unless you just want to die," Genesis hissed at him, maintaining eye contact with the terrifying woman in front of him.

Point taken. Reno shut his mouth. He hissed when Maura jerked his head hard enough to hurt his neck while she mercilessly pulled his hair.

"Let him go!" Genesis yelled, taking another hesitant step toward her.

"Why?" she asked, feeling her rage beginning to subside as the pain started seeping in. It was so much easier to be angry.

"What?" the two redheaded men inquired in unison.

"Why did you cheat, Reno? I loved you. I was always true to you. I was tempted. Oh, Gaia, was I tempted!" she exclaimed, locking eyes with Genesis. "But I never gave in."

"But you don't understand," he whined shamelessly. He was hurting too much to worry about his pride any longer. He was in physical pain but the emotional pain was much worse. She was devastated. He watched in disbelief when Genesis put his arms around her and covered her mouth with his. Bastard! What the hell did Genesis think he was doing kissing his girlfriend right in front of him? Oh, wait…

Maura released Reno, putting her arm around Genesis as he kissed her senseless. She knew it was a diversionary tactic but it was a diversion she was more than happy to get lost in. Her eyes met his when he moved his lips from hers.

"Now. In my apartment," she panted as he stared at her.

"What?" he asked thoroughly confused.

"You had asked me when and where you can have sex with me. Right now. In my apartment. I don't care if it's on the couch, on the floor, in my bed, or wherever. Hell, you can give me a long slow screw up the wall," she said, watching his eyes gleam with sexual delight.

That idea sounded pretty damn enticing to him, but he would not be acting on it. Genesis had no intention of being a rebound lover – those relationships always ended badly. He would be taking her home, however, because she was in no frame of mind to stay at work. He took her by the arm and led her from the roof. They went straight to Rufus Shinra's office. He was glad to see Sephiroth was there because he wanted him to hear this as well.

"She's fired!" Genesis yelled, shoving her toward Rufus's desk.

"What?" the blond demanded, staring at the woman whose face was still distorted with rage.

"I fired her. I found her on the rooftop trying to kill, Reno. I'm not sure why," he lied, glaring at Sephiroth. The silver haired asshole's disturbingly malicious smile gave him away confirming Genesis' suspicion that he was the source of this whole damn disaster and responsible for ending her relationship.

Maura turned to leave the room. She was done with this place and ready to go home. Her retreat was abruptly halted by a panicked, gangly redhead.

"Dear, please," he begged, his sad eyes attempting to make contact with hers but she stared at the floor.

"Reno, please, let me go," she requested since he was holding her by her upper arms. "I understand really. I should have never been with you in the first place. We both knew this was a possibility all along. Good-bye, Reno."

Maura closed her eyes when he refused to budge. She wanted to get out of here before she started crying again.

Genesis put his arm around her, pushing off Reno's hands. Enough was enough. He was ready to take her away from here. He never wanted her to have endure another attack of any kind from Sephiroth.

"Yo, Genesis!" Reno yelled as they were walking away. "Just don't walk her home."

"What does he mean?" he asked her, feeling her shoulders begin to shake.

"I'll tell you when you take me home."

"Let's go."

* * *

"Kill her," Sephiroth demanded, glaring at Reno.

"What?" he inquired, blinking rapidly as if trying to comprehend.

"Kill her," the psycho repeated slowly, enunciating every letter.

"I heard you the first time," Reno snapped. "I won't do it."

"Do we really have to do this?" Sephiroth lamented, rubbing his temple as a headache began to grow. He detested the aggravating man and had very little patience for him right now. "You know the chain of command around here. I can waste time by telling Tseng to give you the order. Please tell me I don't have to do that?"

"No, sir. I'll be on my way," Reno answered dutifully, leaving the office.

"Where are we going?" Rude inquired, following his partner into the elevator.

"We've been issued an order. I have to kill, Maura," he calmly replied.

"Are you really going to do it?"

"Of course."

* * *

Cloud picked up his phone to look at the message he had just received.

_I need you to pick up the fragile package. There is something red and pretty attached. Reno_

"Dammit," Cloud muttered, rushing out of the door.

Reno had already talked to him about this. His misgivings had been right on target. He had told Cloud that Sephiroth was growing tired of her because she was not playing the game according to his rules. In other words, he was losing at his own game, and he was pissed. As far as he was concerned, she was a defective toy, and he was done playing with her so it was time for her to die.

_Something red and pretty._Genesis. Dammit. That was an unforeseen complication to their plan.

* * *

"I'll just walk from here," Maura assured Genesis when he got out of the car to walk her to her apartment. With her anger gone, her common sense had returned and she no longer intended to have sex with him. She was afraid if the temptation presented itself at her door with maybe a kiss or a hug, she would not be able to say no.

"Are you sure?" he asked, grunting and falling forward onto the car unconscious.

"CLOUD!" she screamed when she saw the blond standing behind him.

"He'll be all right. I just touched a little nerve to put him to sleep," he explained, pushing the man back into the car. "Come on. We gotta go."

"Wait! Why? What's going on?" she asked, obstinately digging in her heels when he tried to pull her along behind him.

"Maura, you stubborn pain in the ass! Let's go now!" he yelled, jerking her forward and lifting her off her feet.

Maura fell into him then shoved him away. She folded her arms over her chest, turning her nose up into the air. With her lips poked out, she looked like a willful pouting child. "I won't go until you tell me what's going on?"

"Fine," he grumbled, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Have it your way."

Maura felt a surge of pain through her shoulder and neck before everything went black.

* * *

"Dammit!" Maura yelled, sitting up in the bed and grabbing her pounding head. "Damn you, Cloud."

"Did you call me?" Cloud inquired next to her making her scream again.

"What happened?" she asked, glaring at him as he moved off the bed. She looked around the dimly lit room not recognizing anything. It appeared they were in a log cabin. "Where the hell am I?"

"Questions, questions," he muttered, coming back into the room. He handed her a glass of water and two pills.

"What's this?" she questioned warily, eyeing the pills as if they might poison her.

"It's for your headache. If you weren't so stubborn you wouldn't have that headache right now," he snapped, sitting down on the bed beside her. "Want more water?"

Maura shook her head as she sat the empty glass on the nightstand. "I want answers, Cloud."

"Oh, so demanding."

"Cloud, dammit!"

"All right, all right," he chuckled, putting his arm around her.

"Don't touch me," she muttered pulling away from him. She scuttled across the bed, putting her back to the wall and hugging a pillow to her chest. If he were not here with her she would be scared to death, but she still had an uneasy feeling that made her body shiver. What was going on? Why would Cloud kidnap her?

"Sephiroth issued the order to kill you. Reno knew it was going to happen soon so he had me in the ready to step in and get you," he explained, looking around the room. "We are in a safe house in the middle of nowhere that only Reno, Rude, and I know about."

"Why does he care anymore? I don't," she muttered, burying her face in the pillow.

"Here. Look at these," Cloud said, throwing a stack of pictures at her.

"Oh, Cloud really? You know I don't like porn. Hey wait," she mumbled, thumbing through the pictures of two people she did not recognize, however, she did think the positions of the couple were vaguely familiar. She grabbed her phone and matched the photos of the mystery couple engaged _in flagrante delicto*_ to the pictures on her phone that had been altered to look like it was Reno and Cissnei. "Oh, Gaia," she murmured, covering her face with her hands. She lurched forward grabbing Cloud by the collar with a desperate look in her eyes. "Oh, Cloud I almost killed him!"

"So are you going to kill me instead?" he asked apprehensively because of the psychopathic expression on her face.

"No, don't be silly," she said, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Ooooh, that was unexpected. Wanna do that again?" He leaned toward her hoping she would kiss him again. "What's a little kiss among friends? Especially one that saved your life."

"Wanna end up in that position?" She shoved one of the dirty pictures in his face. Her face flushed hotly when she remembered she almost found herself in that position with Genesis. She was taking him home to screw his brains out because she was angry over her 'cheating' boyfriend. Nausea swept over her when she thought about how close she had come to making a huge mistake.

Cloud looked at the picture and thought for a minute. He wouldn't mind being in that position and many others with her, but Reno and Rude were due to show up at any moment.

"Who made the pictures?" she asked, gathering them up and dumping them in the drawer of the bedside table.

"Rude did. He was ordered by Sephiroth to set up a situation where Reno and Cissnei would seek solace in each other's arms. He had also been directed to give them an aphrodisiac for a little motivation," he told her, lying down on the bed with his hands behind his head.

"Really? Damn. It's a cutthroat and scary thing being a Turk," she said, hugging the pillow tighter. Now she understood Reno's decision for leaving her in the office among the three wolves. He had been right; she could have never handled that job. How did they trust each other when they could be ordered to turn and kill each other at any time?

Maura lay down on the bed staring at the rustic beams crossing the ceiling. She should have known there was a good explanation. 'Seeing is believing' is an old worn out adage that can no longer be followed. They eyes can be fooled way too easily nowadays.

"Ah, Cloud, sleeping with my girlfriend already?" Reno said, appearing out of the shadows in the room.

"Reno!" she squealed, hopping off the bed. She flung herself into his arms, then kissed him. After that, she slapped him across the face. "Don't ever scare me like that again!"

* * *

Notes: *William Congreve from his play _The Mourning Bride_

* _Definition of IN FLAGRANTE DELICTO(from Merriam Webster online) – _1.: in the very act of committing a misdeed : red-handed 2.: in the midst of sexual activity


	11. The Reunion of Bodies and Hearts

The Reunion of Bodies and Hearts

"I think I'll be leaving now," Cloud announced as an uncomfortable silence filled the room while the two redheads faced off. The tension that filled the room was reminiscent of the same kind when a person is watching the countdown on a timed bomb. Cloud and Rude made a quick departure before that bomb exploded.

"Bastard!" Maura screamed so loudly her throat burned. "How could you do that to me?"

"I had to! I'm sorry, but I couldn't warn you. And you needed to pull off a convincing performance," Reno explained, covering his face with his arms defensively as she came at him with her fist raised.

"Asshole!" she yelled, punching him in the stomach. She stepped back as he fell to the floor holding his sore gut.

"Damn you're mean," he coughed, struggling to his feet.

"I'm mean? I'm mean! You cannot even imagine what I went through after seeing those!" she bellowed, moving toward him.

Reno grabbed her wrists when she began pummeling him like a punching bag. He pushed her arms down and pulled her against him in a bear hug.

"I love you. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry," he whispered in her ear, stroking her hair and back. He felt her body shaking and knew she was crying. Holding her while she cried, he murmured comforting words in her ear and sprinkled kisses all over her face.

Maura cried until she felt as if she had not one more tear to cry. Her eyes burned, and she felt weak. When he released her, she went to the bed to lie down and of course he came with her. She lay with her body against his side, her arm around his waist.

"I never meant to break your heart," Reno said, looking into her eyes. He ran his finger along the curve of her jaw then kissed her.

"I know. It just hurt so much," she murmured, tightening her arms around him. "What do we do now?"

"I'm not sure. I was only thinking of getting you to safety. We can't go back." He stared at the ceiling trying to come up with a plan.

"You can go back. You can let me go. Say you killed me and destroyed the body. I can find a little town to live in where no one knows me. Where they would never think to look for me." She lowered her head to his chest to listen to his heartbeat. She did not want to leave him. However, to save them all she would have to.

"What are you saying, Maura?" he asked apprehensively, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"I'm saying it's over, Reno. I have to leave now so you can go back to your life. I can't ask you. I can't ask any of you to do that for me," she stated in a voice dripping with sadness. How did things ever get this far? She should have listened when he tried to tell her they should not get involved. Being stupid and stubborn seemed to be a lifelong habit of hers.

"Just go to sleep. I'll figure something out," Reno told her, holding her close.

"Reno, I love you," she whispered, sitting up to kiss him.

"I love you too," he rejoined, pulling her to him for another kiss. His hand went to the buttons on her shirt at the same time hers began unfastening his. Something felt wrong here. Like this would be their last time together. He pushed the niggling uneasy feeling aside as he slowly undressed her to make love to her.

Maura gazed longingly into his striking blue eyes as he lay beside her. They kissed while they deliberately explored each other's bodies with their hands. She wanted to be able to remember the silky soft feeling of his skin under her fingers and the firmness of his long smooth muscles under that skin. His gentle touch, velvety lips, the little noises he makes while feeling pleasure she gives to him; she filed it away in her brain for recall. This would be the last time ever that she makes love to him because she was leaving. It would be best for all of them if she left.

"Reno," she gasped when he pulled her knee up to his hip and carefully slid into her.

Reno wanted to make this last. In their side by side position there was no choice but for it to take a long time. His eyes met hers and he could see the sadness there. Her eyes also held a resolve that he knew he could not break because he knew her stubbornness all too well. She had decided on her present path and there would be no deterring her just like when she had obstinately ignored his warnings before they had serious feelings for each other. He could have walked away, he could have refused her but he had wanted the relationship just as much.

Maura held his amorous gaze, opening her mouth to moan with ecstasy but nothing came out. It felt like she could not breathe. Her chest heaved laboriously. Silent tears began to fall while he made love to her, pleasuring her body while her heart slowly ripped itself apart. This was all her fault and they would both pay the price with a broken heart.

Reno wiped the tears from her cheeks then lowered his head to her breasts. He wanted all of her. He wanted to touch, taste, and feel as much as he could. His lips enclosed her nipple and drew a moan from her lips as he tenderly sucked.

Maura buried her hands in his hair, pulling him close as she thrust her hips at him. He nipped her, the pain sending a jolt of ecstasy through her that made her cry out his name. She relaxed her grip on him when he migrated to the other breast pressing kisses across her chest during his transition. Her muscles tightened around him inside of her when he started pulling her sensitive nipple into his mouth. She gasped when his hand clamped down on her butt and began moving her faster. A loud moan escaped her when he started pushing back at her. She opened her eyes to look at him when he laid his head beside hers.

"Maura, Maura," he called plaintively as if pleading with her to stay. His eyes held hers while he chewed on his lower lip. If only she would stay, he would protect her.

"Oh, Reno," she groaned, moving her lips to his. She waited until the last second to break the kiss to release a yowl of pleasure from the orgasm that overtook her body and caused her to jerk with bliss each time he thrust into her.

"Maura, don't leave me," he begged, pulling her into him as he climaxed. It was a bittersweet feeling to have an intense sexual release along with an emotional one. He had sworn to himself that he would not beg her to go, but he had to. Something had to make her stay.

"I'm still here," she whispered, kissing his forehead.

"For how long?" he asked, holding her tightly.

"I'm still here," she cryptically repeated, running her fingers through his hair in a comforting gesture.

Reno tried to stay awake. As long as he was awake she would stay because he would not let her go. Unfortunately, exhaustion overwhelmed him and he passed out more than went to sleep.

* * *

"Maura!" Reno yelled, sitting bolt upright in the bed. The sun was blinding coming through the small window of the room. He looked at the empty bed beside him. Dammit!

"Reno? Are you all right?" Maura inquired, walking into the room from the bathroom.

She was wrapped in a towel and her hair was soaking wet; she had never looked so beautiful to him before. He leaped from the bed naked and grabbed her. He held her tightly panting into her ear because that desperate, terrible fear for just those few moments had stolen his breath.

"I am now that I know you're still with me," he panted, kissing her with a crushing force.

"Reno –" She was cut off by another strong kiss.

The anxious, worried kisses evolved into passionate, deeper kisses that led them back to the bed. He made love to her in a fast, rough way, conveying his all-consuming need to have her, to be as close to her as possible. It felt awkward and frantic, born from fear and longing.

"Please don't ever leave me. I can't live without you," he moaned into her ear as he thrust into her.

Tears stung her eyes as she gazed at her lover's face. "Reno, now you know how I feel every time you leave me."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he apologized, leaning down to kiss her.

Something warm and wet fell on her cheek while he was kissing her. She had not said it to hurt him. He just never fully understood. Maura released her tears to mix with his as they made love trying to reconnect with each other. Last night covered the hurt of the picture fiasco. Today was an apology for all of the times he had to leave and never knew just how much it hurt until he felt the loss and devastation himself. How did she endure it? How did she stay?

Maura released a plaintive howling sound, sinking her teeth in his shoulder when she reached her climax. The jolt of pain heightened Reno's pleasure and he yelled her name when the orgasm caused him to explode inside of her. He curled into her, holding her tightly against him.

"Please, please stay," he begged shamelessly. He was not as strong as her. He could not take it.

"Stop. Reno, stop, you're scaring me. This isn't like you," she said, pushing him back so she could see his face.

"No. It's not like me," he admitted, holding her steady gaze. "For the first time I realized there was a real possibility that I could lose you. It never occurred to me that something could happen to you or that you would leave me."

"Oh, Reno," she murmured, pulling his head down to her shoulder. His soft hair tickled her neck and chest, but she needed him close to her. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know. Give me a few days. Let me think. I only got as far as the escape. I thought I'd get to the rest of the plan when you were safe which is now," he explained, kissing her chest above her breast. He sighed as he brushed his fingers across the bumps that had risen on her skin.

"I trust you. I always have," she said, kissing his forehead.

"I just never knew how much. Thank you for trusting me."

"I love you."

* * *

"Why don't you two just stay here for a while? You can take a leave of absence Reno. They were going to kill you anyway Maura so your excuse is taken care of. You're supposed to be dead," Rude said in a straightforward manner in an uncharacteristically long moment of speaking.

"Gee, thanks, Rude. That wasn't creepy at all," she muttered, staring out of the kitchen window at the beautiful forest scenery. She had no idea where they were, and she did not ask again because she did not really want to know. A squirrel ran across a tree limb to the very edge then leapt to the next tree. She gasped as it barely caught the end of the limb, clambering up, and running to the tree trunk. Wow! If this is the biggest danger she will face here she can handle this. Beware of the suicidal squirrels.

"What are you doing over there? Why are you giggling all to yourself?" Cloud asked, a look of concern pinching his eyebrows together. He thought the pressure had gotten to her and she was losing it.

"Squirrel!" she exclaimed, giggling louder.

"What?" all three men asked in unison staring her warily.

"Reno! Get the rope! I'll hold her down," Rude whispered only half way joking.

"No seriously. I was watching one of the furry locals on his daily commute. He almost committed suicide," she explained still giggling and sounded more insane than ever.

"Well, good luck with that," Cloud said, slapping Reno on the back and getting up from the table. "I gotta get back before Tifa has a conniption fit. I'll be back in a couple of days with supplies for you. Rude? You're coming back too right?"

"Yeah. I'll be right there," the man stated apprehensively, casting a suspicious eye on the redheaded woman staring out of the window and laughing to herself.

"Sweetheart, I'll be right back. There are a few things I need to discuss with Rude and Cloud before they go," Reno told her, crossing the small kitchen in two steps with his long legs to kiss her.

Maura stared out of the window again watching the breeze gently blowing the pine and oak trees surrounding the little cabin. She would not mind staying here forever; just the two of them in their own little paradise, away from the world and everyone in it. They would be safe, and he would never have to leave her again. A deep, sad sigh passed her lips because she knew this was only temporary. She would stay with him no matter what happened. She had only been fooling herself. There was no way she could ever leave him.


	12. Never to Come Back to Her

Never to Come Back to Her

Reno's three months were up and he returned to Midgar and what was supposed to be a normal life. Maura was still at the cabin and received infrequent visits from him and Cloud. For the most part she did not mind all the time alone. It was comforting being in the peace and quiet especially with the knowledge that she was safe and away from any possible danger. However, sometimes the loneliness crowded in on her and threatened to destroy her. Tonight was one of those nights.

Maura tossed and turned until her body was sore. Giving up on sleep after a few hours, she pushed herself from the bed. She walked out of the cabin to stand on the front porch. Looking around, she contemplated taking a walk like she had often done before on sleepless nights. It was full moon night and the forest was lit up enough that she could easily walk without a flashlight. She casually strolled as if she were walking through a park in the middle of the afternoon. A strange glow to her left caught her eye.

"I've never seen anything like that before," she mumbled out loud, startled by the sound of her own voice in the silence.

Maura felt compelled to explore and find out what was causing the glow so she began walking toward it. She walked and she walked and the glow grew and became more brilliant. Even when she was still quite a ways off, she could see that it was part of the forest. When she was very close she could hear voices. Carefully sneaking up but staying beyond the glowing edges, she attempted to catch a glimpse of the men she heard talking. She hid behind a tree, peeking around intermittently in an attempt to see without being seen. There were three distinct voices and for some reason they were familiar. She was finally able to catch a fleeting hint of silver hair and black leather. Pressing her back to the tree and willing herself to keep breathing she identified the mystery men: Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. Damn. Sometimes there is absolutely no escape from evil. What were they doing out here?

"Loz! Are you crying again?" the mean little bastard named Kadaj yelled at the big one.

"No," Loz sniffled, receiving a slap.

"He's dead! Get over it!" his brother bellowed unsympathetically.

'Who's dead?' Maura wondered, daring to move a little closer. Now she could see them. Loz was sitting on a fallen tree with his head in his hands crying while Yazoo casually leaned back against a tree with one of his feet resting against the trunk. Kadaj paced back and forth out of anger rather than nervousness. What was he so angry about?

"Sephiroth is dead, Kadaj. Can't you allow him at least one day to grieve? It was bad enough losing mother – " He was quickly cut off by his vile little brother slapping him across the face.

Maura almost felt sorry for them. Almost. She was relieved to hear that their psychopathic eldest sibling was dead. Who killed him? The why was not so mysterious. Speaking of psychopaths where did Kadaj go? She screamed when she was mercilessly pulled to the ground by her hair.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" he asked, his voice skittering across her nerves and making her shiver.

"You little bastard! Let me go!" she yelled, grabbing his hand that was still buried in her hair. She moved her body around, attempting to get into a position to kick him. Instead he grabbed her feet and forced them to the ground, kneeling down on her thighs. Damn that that hurt.

"You're feisty! I like a little fight in my women," he murmured letting go of her hair and seizing her wrists with one hand. He forced them to ground above her head, lying down on top of her body.

Maura breathed a sigh of momentary relief when his knees lifted out of the flesh of her thighs. She found herself in a whole new predicament with him on top of her. She closed her eyes and screamed when he covered her mouth in an abusive painful kiss. When his hand covered her breast and squeezed she rocked her body from side to side in an attempt to throw him off.

"I will get what I want this time. None of your friends are here to stop me this time," he growled, sitting up on top of her. He drew back his fist and let go, nearly knocking her unconscious.

Maura cried out in pain when stars exploded beneath her closed eyelids. Little black things swam in and out of her vision as she tried to focus on the little bastard's face as he grinned down at her. The sound of ripping fabric met her ears. There was another sound, far in the distance that caught her attention. Listening attentively, she identified it as the sound of Cloud's motorcycle.

"You were wrong," she said, feeling the soreness in her jaw as her mouth moved.

"What?" he demanded, continuing to roughly rip the clothes from her body.

"One of my friends is here. You're screwed," she informed him with a smile. The whine of the engine was loud enough now that he heard it.

"Dammit!" he yelled, jumping up from her to warn his brothers. It was too late. He saw Loz go down as the blond on the motorcycle flew by with his sword drawn. Yazoo was taken out moments later with another pass. Kadaj did not care whether they were unconscious or dead. All he cared about now was saving his own ass.

Maura was still incapacitated on the ground, listening to the revving of the engine. She was having a hard time remaining alert and kept weaving in and out of consciousness. After hearing one last loud cry, she knew Kadaj had been dealt with. Cloud would be here to get her soon.

"Maura! Where are you?" he yelled, his voice sounded close.

"I'm here!" she answered as loudly as she could. She could hear the weakness in her own voice.

"Oh, Maura, what the hell –" He fell to his knees beside her almost afraid to touch her. Her clothes were torn to shreds and a massive purple bruise covered the left side of her jaw and extended down her neck.

"It's not as bad as it looks. Get me out of here. Take me home," she requested right before everything went black.

* * *

Maura awoke with a start. She had been experiencing that terrible falling sensation. Throwing off the covers, she jumped out of the bed. She was home – in her room at Cloud's apartment. Dressed only in one of his black t-shirts and her underwear she ran out of the room to find him.

"Cloud! Cloud!" she yelled nearly running into him at the end of the short hall.

"Maura! You're awake!" he exclaimed with obvious relief, putting his arms around her. "You've been out for two days. I was so worried."

"Two days?" she muttered, leaving his embrace to sit on the couch. "Two days?" she asked when he sat down beside her.

"Yeah. I was worried sick," he said, putting an arm around her. His eyes fell on the envelope on the coffee table. Damn. He had forgotten to hide that. Maybe she would not notice.

"What's this?" she inquired, grabbing the envelope. Her name was scrawled on the front in Reno's handwriting. Her stomach immediately twisted into knots. It can't be.

Damn. Of course she would notice it.

"Where is Reno?" she queried, her face turning a deathly pale color.

Cloud stared at the brown and green bruise that looked even more garish and disgusting against her ghostly white skin. He was going to give it to her - just later. Like a few days from now when she had gotten over the forest trouble.

Maura ripped open the letter when Cloud did not answer her question. She knew her answer, no matter how much she did not want to confirm it, would be in there. Her heart fell and her stomach ached when she read the first two words: I'm sorry. She crumpled the letter not wanting to read the rest. He had broken up with her with a letter? That is only one step up from a text message. At least the letter had a certain nostalgic flare. Her insane curiosity compelled her to read the whole letter.

_I'm sorry. By the time you read this, I will be gone. Yes, I'm a coward. I could never do this in person but it needs to be done. I'm letting you go. It's unfair to hold onto you any longer. If I were ending things because I did not love you anymore, this would be so much easier. I love you and my heart is breaking as I write this because I know how it will break yours. You need someone who will always be there for you. You deserve more than to be left waiting. I want you to have a long, happy life with someone who will love you, protect you, and be with you. I could only do one of those things. I hope you understand. Good-bye._

Maura crumpled the letter and threw it across the room. She pulled her knees up to her chest and began to cry. Loud mournful wails escaped her as she grieved for their relationship. It was over. It was truly over and there was nothing she could do it about it. He had ended it in a way where there was absolutely no argument and no recourse. It was done.

Cloud pulled her pitiful, shivering form against his chest. He put his lips next to her ear to whisper comforting words to her. "Baby, it's okay. Calm down. It will be all right. It doesn't seem like it but I promise you can get over this. You're safe here with me," he whispered, stroking her cheek. "I'll help you get through this"

Maura could hear his voice from a distance as if she were waking up from a dream – or rather a nightmare. She sighed from the sweet, calming words he was speaking to her. Closing her eyes, the image of Reno's handsome face formed in her mind. His icy blue eyes taunted her and pricked at her heart. It hurt. Her hand pressed against her chest. Why did it hurt so much? Because it was breaking. Soft lips grazing her ear as he spoke pulled her attention back to Cloud. Her mind drifted back to the little game of 'what if' that occurred so long ago. Cloud had been the first man Reno suggested to her, calling him sincere and loving and asking her if she thought she could fall in love with him. Her skin prickled with arousal when his fingers slid down to her neck and across her chest, stroking softly to soothe her.

"I've always been here for you when you've needed me. I will always be here for you. I…" Cloud hesitated. Should he say it? He kissed below her ear and kissed her cheek before moving his lips back to her ear to whisper, "I love you. I always have."

"What?" Maura asked. She pulled away from him so she could look into his glowing blue eyes. Those words sliced through her muddled brain and were comprehended loud and clear. "Cloud, I-I…damn, I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything. I wasn't looking for any certain response. I know now is not the best time to tell you, but I'm afraid if I don't, I never will. If I didn't deeply care about you, do you think I would have taken care of you for all of this time? Where was Reno all those times? Where is he now? You had a boyfriend who should have been the one taking care of you. He's never been here for you Maura. I know it was not his fault. It was that damn job, but still –"

"Cloud!" she exclaimed, cutting him off abruptly. "Take your own advice. Don't say anything."

Cloud pulled her head down to his chest. They cuddled on the couch without speaking, listening to each other's labored breathing. His fingers brushed across her neck and she sighed, shifting against him. Awareness of her velvety lips moving across his chest, pressing kisses to his skin made him groan and hold her tighter.

"What are you doing?" he murmured, burying his hands in her thick curly hair.

"What do you want me to do?" Maura asked, running her tongue around the pink nipple beneath her lips. She had sorrows and she needed to bury them. Using the handsome blond holding her seemed like a good way to do it.

"Oh, Gaia! Maura please, don't do this," he begged, pulling her head up because she had begun to suck on his sensitive nipple. Leave it to her to discover one of his major erogenous zones and decide to explore it. "I don't want you to regret anything with me ever."

"I won't," she assured him, pressing her lips to his since they were inches away. She moaned when his tongue flicked against her lips, then pushed through the small opening between them to gain entry to her mouth.

Cloud moaned when he tasted her mouth. He had never kissed her like this before. It had only been chaste little pecks on the lips. He grunted when she straddled his narrow waist, pressing her breasts under the thin layer of cotton material against his chest while she stroked his tongue with hers. He had fantasized about her many times but he never imagined this would really happen.

"Cloud," she whispered, grinding herself down on him. He was half naked underneath her, wearing only a pair of boxers. "I want you."

"I've wanted this for a long time," he murmured against her lips, kissing her as he slid his hand between her legs. He moaned when he felt the wetness on her panties. "Take them off."

Maura stood up next to the couch, sliding her white cotton panties down her legs while he watched. She stripped off the t-shirt, hearing him whimper when her breasts were revealed to him. Her eyes moved to the huge erection revealed by his thin boxers. She knelt down in front of him, pulling them off when he raised his hips.

"I want to be inside of you," he whispered when he saw her staring at his member.

Maura stood up, straddling his lap as he positioned himself at her entrance. Slowly lowering herself onto him, she cried out once he was fully embedded into her body. No going back now. The sex was furious and ferocious as she took out all her pain and anger on poor, unsuspecting Cloud.

Cloud covered her mouth with his to stifle her wails of pleasure that sometimes became piercing cries of ecstasy. He was glad it felt good to her and damn it felt great to him. He held onto her as best as she could while she rode him with a frightening vengeance that was taking his breath away.

"Oh, Maura, I can't wait. I'm going to – " Before he could inform her of the climax it hit him. He yelled her name and crushed his mouth against hers forcefully as she rocked her hips and drained him dry.

Maura remained sitting on top of him panting heavily for air. She rose up her knees when his arm encircled her waist and pulled her forward. She accepted Cloud's kiss, squealing with delight when she felt his fingers slide into her body that was slick and drenched with his deposit. Her hands pressed against his shoulders while his lips enclosed one of her aroused nipples.

"Oh, Cloud," she moaned, raking her fingers through his hair. A strangled cry tore from her lips when his thumb pressed against her and rubbed hard to bring her to an orgasm. She clawed into his shoulders when the pleasure broke and flooded over her but it did not deter him from continuing to work his fingers inside of her until she was begging him to stop because it kept firing off successive orgasms that were powerful and gratifying.

"What do we do now?" Cloud asked her, kissing her cheek and then her lips.

"Cloud, can you love me?" she asked, her green eyes holding his luminescent blue ones.

"Of course. I already do," he said, kissing her again. He hugged her and felt her shudder when she started to cry again. "There's something you're not telling me."

"Cloud," she gasped, giving him a hard, pleading kiss. "Can you love my baby?"

"What? When did you find out? Have you told Reno?"

"I kind of guessed due to certain factors, you know. I haven't told Reno. When could I have told him?"

"Will you tell him?" he inquired, holding her gaze.

"Eventually," she answered. "Can you love us both?"

"The baby will be part of you right? I told you I would always be here for you," he reminded her, kissing her ardently to show he meant it.

* * *

Maura returned the favor to Reno by sending him a letter to advise him of the pregnancy and her relationship with Cloud. She knew it was more than less a relationship of convenience for the both of them. They cared deeply for each other but it never held the passion or intensity of her relationship with Reno. Her red-haired lover and father of her child continued to casually meander in and out of her life and his child's.

Their son, who they named Rory, grew up calling Cloud daddy but knew who his real father was. The child could have looked in the mirror and figured out who his father was because he looked just like him. He was lucky enough to have three loving parents who invested their lives in him and his happiness. What he did not know was they had all sacrificed their own in the process.

They had chosen duty and loyalty over love. It was Maura's duty to bring her child into the world and raise him. She pledged her loyalty and life to Cloud. Cloud knew she would never stop loving Reno and he never expected her to. He knew she loved him but it was born from friendship and dedication which might have actually made it stronger than what she felt for Reno. Reno – well, Reno, did the best he could. He always knew he would never be the type to settle down. Between his job and his inherent personality, there was no way he could.

Not everyone is assured a happily ever after. Sometimes people settle for a happy as it gets. For them that was good enough.


End file.
